Osteosarcoma in Manitoba: review of 95 patients

A retrospective review of all recorded cases of osteosarcoma diagnosed and treated in Manitoba from 1930 to 1977 was carried out. There were 95 patients (64 males, 31 females). The peak age was 10 to 19 years. The most common sites of osteosarcoma were the femur (38 patients), tibia (14 patients), humerus (13 patients) and pelvis (9 patients). The survival rate (excluding parosteal and periosteal types) was 28% at 2 years and 16% at 5 years. Patients who were operated upon had a somewhat better prognosis than those who had radiotherapy. Initial results of chemotherapy are encouraging. Patients with distal limb tumours had a better prognosis than those with more proximal neoplasms. Patients with tumour secondary to Paget's disease and to irradiation did poorly, those with parosteal and periosteal osteosarcoma did better. Thirteen patients had 31 thoracotomies for pulmonary metastases; their average duration of survival after this procedure was 9.3 months.