Combined therapy of osteosarcoma: preoperative irradiation, surgery, and chemotherapy

• Published in: Radiology Vol. 125; no. 2; p. 497
• Main Authors: Munzenrider, J E, Emami, B, Tchakarova, I, Necheles, T F, Banks, H H, Paradelo, J C, Oh, W H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.11.1977
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Alopecia - chemically induced; Bone Neoplasms - drug therapy; Bone Neoplasms - radiotherapy; Bone Neoplasms - surgery; Bone Neoplasms - therapy; Child; Cyclophosphamide - adverse effects; Cyclophosphamide - therapeutic use; Humans; Osteosarcoma - drug therapy; Osteosarcoma - radiotherapy; Osteosarcoma - surgery; Osteosarcoma - therapy
• ISSN: 0033-8419
• DOI: 10.1148/125.2.497

The rationale for prebiopsy and preoperative irradiation in a multimodal approach to treatment of osteosarcoma is presented. Six patients with osteosarcoma underwent preoperative irradiation, amputation, and elective chemotherapy. Five of these also received prebiopsy irradiation: three survive without metastases at 29, 36, and 56 months, with no therapy for 10, 16, and 37 months, respectively; two patients died at 6 and 19 months of pulmonary metastases which appeared at 2 and 10 months, respectively. The latter two did not receive prebiopsy irradiation. Another patient, whose pulmonary metastasis regressed at 6 months with adriamycin and was later resected, died of cardiac failure at 59 months without evident metastasis. Immunologic aspects of the disease are also discussed.