Osteogenic sarcoma of the mandible: a plea for radical initial surgery

A total of 24 cases of osteogenic sarcoma of the mandible have been reported to the SEER Program of the National Cancer Institute from 1973 to 1983. Out of 14 patients whose disease was staged as regional, only 9 were eligible for 5-year survival figures and only 2 are alive, for a 23 percent 5-year cure. For those patients staged as localized, only four of six eligible for 5-year cure survived, for a 66 percent 5-year survival. Considering all patients reported to SEER who were eligible for 5-year cure, the rate is 40 percent. We believe this reflects the practice of localized resection of these tumors. At Charity Hospital of Louisiana at New Orleans there have been 10 cases of osteogenic sarcoma of the mandible since 1948. There have been no 5-year survivors for those operated on by other services, usually by local resection. On the Tulane Plastic Surgery Service, a total of six cases of osteogenic sarcoma of the mandible were treated by radical surgery with 100 percent survival from 11 to 22 years.