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Osteosarcoma - Frequently Asked Questions


Q: Who is the specialist who treats osteosarcoma?

A: Patients with osteosarcoma are usually seen by orthopaedic surgeons and then followed up by the oncology team.As many patients are young and on the verge of losing a limb, it helps to integrate psychosocial counselling and support them through the palliative care team also.

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Q: What are primary bone tumours?

A: The primary bone tumours are tumors that arise from the tissues of the bone. They are of several types-

  • Hematopoietic, which arise from the blood and bone marrow like and lymphoma.
  • Osteogenic, which are bone forming
  • Chondrogenic, which are cartilage forming
  • Fibrous and fibro osseous tumours which are composed of fibrous elements
  • Neuroectodermal tissue- For eg, Ewing’s tumour
  • Tumours where the origin is unknown

Q: What are the prognostic factors with relation to osteosarcoma?

A: Situations that can result in a worse prognosis or outcome of osteosarcoma include-

    Tumours associated with Paget’s Disease Osteosarcomas of the craniofacial bones and vertebrae
  • Multifocal osteosarcomas, which are uniformly fatal.
  • The presence of genetic factors like Her 2/ neu expression, loss of heterozygosity of RB gene.
  • Post chemotherapy tumour necrosis

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