[Compatibility and toxicity of methotrexate in the treatment of bone tumors]

Chemotherapeutical treatment with high dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) of osteogenic sarcoma has been performed at the Orthopaedic University Clinic of Vienna since 1975. In accordance with the cooperative study for osteosarcoma (Coss) which has been in use in Germany and Austria since 1977, HD-MTX has been used in larger quantity beside other cytostatic drugs. The total of 4259 g MTX has been applied to 36 patients who were suffering from malignant bone tumors. We report about the toxicity and compatibility of MTX. Within 231 cycles of treatment in 8 cases a high toxicity (grade IV after modified WHO-Score) was found. One patient died in consequence of the chemotherapy by fungal infection.