Progress and stagnation in chemotherapy protocols for primary osteosarcoma
Delépine, N.; Alkallaf, S.; Cornille, Hélène.; Markowska, B.; Delépine, Gérard.
Annales de Medecine Interne 154(1): 12-24
2003
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-410X PMID: 12746655 Document Number: 560618
Thirty years ago, osteosarcoma of a limb meant amputation and death. Two years after diagnosis, 80% of the patients died from pulmonary metastases, despite early amputation. In 2002, more than 70% of these patients can be cured. Successful cure requires adequate and early management centered on en-bloc resection by a specialized surgeon, followed by a long, expensive, and adapted chemotherapy. The cornerstone is high-dose methotrexate. We present data accumulated over the last 30 years on the treatment of osteosarcoma and point out the fundamental steps of this success story.