Osteogenic Sarcoma

Osteogenic Sarcoma – General Information

Osteogenic Sarcoma is the most frequent kind of bone cancer of those which affect children. It usually appears in the long osseous tissues, like the legs, the arms and the pelvis. It can also develop in the fingers and the jaw and, in rare cases, at the extremity of these particular bones, close to the growth surfaces. Osteogenic Sarcoma regards young adults and adolescents, it is more frequent in men than in women, but as the patients grow older the percentage is the same. As this disease is a form of cancer, the affected cells are expected to spread to other tissues as well; the most common organs which are regarded are the lungs, then the brain, the adrenal gland and the heart. Scientists assume that Osteogenic Sarcoma is caused by repeated injuries to some areas of the body, but it is still uncertain if the injuries are the effect or the cause of this illness. The lesions induced by cancer in the bones makes that zone weaker and this can easily lead to several traumas. On the other hand, these wounds may force the bones to create an increased quantity of osteoid tissue in order to heal the affected zone; this abnormal quantity produced by the bones can result in malignancy. All these facts considered, it is more likely to say that wounds just bring the state to attention and they do not develop any causal relation. Other specialists think that an important factor in developing this disease is genetic.

Osteogenic Sarcoma – Symptoms

Each patient develops different symptoms but the most common ones, which are likely to appear in any case, are: pain in the areas where the disease appears, redness and swelling in these areas, increased pain when doing some actions which require physical effort, limping and decreased motion of the affected tissues. The symptoms of Osteogenic Sarcoma are usually expected to last for a short period of time but, in the worst cases, they can last for a few months or even a year. If your child experiences one of these symptoms, you should visit a physician in order to get a sure diagnosis, as the same indications can be developed by a lot of other diseases. 
The processes you need to follow for getting certain diagnoses are: providing a full medical history of your family and attending a physical exam. Apart from these, the examination includes:

• Multiple representational processes of the tumor, possible using x-rays, magnetic resonance, bone scans or computer scan.
• Total blood count
• Blood tests
• The appearance of distinct blood cells in a standard volume of blood.

Symptoms of Osteogenic Sarcoma may appear for weeks before the patients realize they have a problem and they should visit a doctor. They often cause just a small pain which gets worst in time and you should worry if you develop arthritis, sprain or insupportable pains. Other symptoms, like sweating and fever are uncommon but, if the disease affects your lungs you can experience respiratory problems. 

Osteogenic Sarcoma – Treatment

In the United States, Osteogenic Sarcoma affects about 4.8 millions individuals aged less than 20 years old and the general 6-year endurance rate of the sufferers is about 65%. The numbers are higher in African Americans than in the general population. This disorder affects males rather than females.
The treatment for Osteogenic Sarcoma will be prescribed by the personal doctor according to the evolution of the disease. The treatment will be based on: the children’s overall health, the age and the medical history; the extent of the illness; the tolerance for certain procedures, drugs and therapies; expectations of the evolution of the illness; the doctor’s personal opinion. Considering all these, the doctor can choose one of the following ways of treatment: surgery (resections, reconstructions, and biopsy); chemotherapy; amputation; radiation therapy; rehabilitation (occupational and physical therapy, social adapting); training; antibiotics; management of the side effects, supportive care. The prospect for Osteogenic Sarcoma is highly related to the following conditions: the location and the size of the tumor; the extent of the illness;  the response to the treatment; the presence of the metastasis; the overall health; the age of the patient; the tolerance to certain drugs, procedures; the new technological discoveries.  

In the case of Osteogenic Sarcoma, as in any other type of cancer, the prospect and the survival on a long period differ a lot from patient to patient. Each person is unique and the same treatment can not be applied to everybody. The doctors should consider every person’s needs and they should keep in mind the fact that immediate medical attention and effective therapy are essential for a good progress of the disease. Persisting follow-up attention is indispensable for a person who suffer of Osteogenic Sarcoma, as the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation can occur at any moment. In most of the cases, the patient should visit a radiation therapist, a surgeon and an oncologist as each of them has a specific part in the process of rehabilitation. The treatment is then divided into the aid of the local disorder and the aid of the system disorder. The old tending was not very efficient but dismal and it did not offer good chances of survival. Nowadays, because of the use of chemotherapy and the discovery of drugs like carboplatin, cis-platinum, methotrexate, adriamycin the sufferers develop a higher level of hope and faith. The doctors try to control the systemic disease before they start treating the primary form because studies showed that patients who suffer of this disorder have already metastasized ahead having a clear diagnosis of their condition. The primary form is then treated with a mixture of radiation therapy and chemotherapy; this care can be given sequentially or concurrently. All these efforts are made in order to separate the affected limb but to protect the patient and to assure that he will be safe after the administration of the therapy. After the end of both local and systemic therapy, the surgeon has to take out the dead tumor from the osseous tissues which have been treated. Then, he has to strengthen the bone.