Does osteosarcoma spread through blood?

Written by Guan Jing Tao
Orthopedics
Updated on December 05, 2024
00:00
00:00

As far as we know, osteosarcoma is not transmitted through blood or infectious. If osteosarcoma had such infectious characteristics, it would be transmitted in the same way as AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases and would be classified as a contagious disease. However, there has been no notification or relevant guidelines to date indicating that osteosarcoma can be transmitted through blood. Therefore, normal contact with patients with osteosarcoma, or caring for patients with osteosarcoma, including sharing the same food or coming into contact with their blood, generally does not lead to the transmission or contraction of osteosarcoma.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Guan Yu Hua
Orthopedic Surgery
1min 27sec home-news-image

Symptoms of osteosarcoma metastasis to the lungs

Osteosarcoma is a malignant tumor of the bone, most commonly found in adolescents and young adults. The most frequent sites are the distal femur, the proximal tibia, or the proximal humerus. Early-stage patients often experience lung metastases, which are quite common. Initially, there are no symptoms; however, as the disease progresses, symptoms such as lumps, significant pain especially at night, increased local skin temperature, dilated veins, and weight loss may appear. At this stage, radiographic examinations are imperative to identify the tumor presence, indicated by findings such as a Codman triangle or sunray appearance, which are suggestive of osteosarcoma, though confirmation through pathology is essential. Furthermore, comprehensive body scans are necessary to check for metastases. Early-stage lung metastases might not show symptoms, but as the disease advances, symptoms like coughing, coughing up blood, and pleural effusion, possibly bloody, may develop. Severe cases can lead to respiratory difficulties and cachexia. Early detection and treatment, combined with postoperative chemotherapy, can lead to a five-year survival rate of over 50%. However, the disease is often diagnosed in its intermediate to late stages due to the absence of early symptoms, making it challenging to detect.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
59sec home-news-image

Osteosarcoma is a type of cancer.

Osteosarcoma is a relatively common type of malignant bone tumor in clinical practice. It mainly occurs near the ends of the humerus, including the area around the head of the humerus, and at the distal end of the femur, near the femoral condyles, as well as the proximal tibia, close to the tibial plateau. These are its common sites. It predominantly affects teenagers, generally those under 18 years of age. The main symptoms include: firstly, persistent and worsening pain that gradually intensifies and does not alleviate, with the notable characteristic being that the pain is more severe at night than during the day; secondly, the appearance of spindle-shaped tumors around the joints, particularly at the three aforementioned common sites, often accompanied by redness, warmth, pain in the superficial skin, and even prominent superficial veins; thirdly, osteosarcoma is a type of malignant tumor, classified as grade 2B among malignant tumors. Its main feature, apart from local symptoms, is its propensity for metastasis, with the lungs being the most likely site of metastasis.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Wang Cheng Lin
Orthopedics
49sec home-news-image

What are the symptoms of osteosarcoma?

Symptoms of Osteosarcoma: The first is pain at the site of occurrence. This pain may be intermittent and not very pronounced in the early stages. As the condition progresses, the severity of the pain gradually increases, transitioning from intermittent to persistent pain; The second is the formation of a lump. You can feel a lump on the limb with your hand, and this lump is clearly tender to the touch; The third is limping, which is mainly caused by the pain in the limb; The fourth is the most common systemic symptoms. Patients with this malignant tumor will exhibit fever, weight loss, anemia, and pathological fractures. These are the main symptoms of osteosarcoma currently observed in clinical settings.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Wang Cheng Lin
Orthopedics
38sec home-news-image

How long is the latent period of osteosarcoma?

In clinical practice, there is no such thing as a latency period for malignant bone tumors, because these tumors progress very quickly. So, if you experience symptoms such as swelling and pain in the affected limb, if you can feel a mass, and if the pain severely impacts your daily life, you should promptly go to a hospital to get an imaging test done to determine whether a bone tumor is present. Only through imaging and accurate diagnosis can early diagnosis and treatment be achieved, which is the best treatment approach for osteosarcoma. Therefore, in clinical practice, there is no concept of a latency period for malignant bone tumors.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Peng Li Bo
Oncology
41sec home-news-image

The difference between sarcoma and osteosarcoma

The relationship between sarcoma and osteosarcoma is very simple; it is a relationship of containment where sarcoma includes osteosarcoma. Simply put, the concept of sarcoma is broader, and osteosarcoma is a subtype under it. Sarcoma itself also includes malignant tumors occurring in blood vessels, fat, nerves, and muscles, such as angiosarcoma, liposarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and leiomyosarcoma, and, of course, osteosarcoma. However, both sarcoma and osteosarcoma are malignant tumors, and it's important to clarify this concept. Moreover, osteosarcoma is more common in young people.