Osteosarcoma in Finland from 1971 through 1990: a nationwide study of epidemiology and outcome

There have only been a few nationwide studies on the epidemiology and outcome of osteosarcoma. We report the clinical features, treatment, and prognosis of osteosarcoma in Finland for the period 1971-1990.

The study material was derived from population-based data from the national Finnish Cancer Registry. 302 osteosarcomas were reported during the study period. Histological slides could be retrieved for 199 cases and from histological re-examination, 139 (83%) of these cases were confirmed as osteosarcoma and were included in the analysis. The mean length of follow-up was 8 (0.1-28) years.

The overall 5-year survival for the whole study population was 58%, with an improvement in survival during 1981-1990 (65%) compared to the period 1971-1980 (47%) (p=0.01). More chemotherapy was administered in the later time period. For metastasis-free survival, diagnosis in the 1970s as opposed to the 1980s (p=0.01) and large tumor size worsened outcome in univariate analysis. Patients who developed metastatic relapse within 10 months of the diagnosis had worse sarcoma-specific survival than those who developed metastases later. Limb-salvage surgery increased from 12% to 23% for patients with a peripheral tumor, with no increase in local relapses.

We recommend aggressive approach to treat recurrent disease, with a view to further improving survival. In a small country such as Finland it is necessary to concentrate treatment to only a few centers, to ensure a high quality of treatment.