Surgery for osteosarcoma with isolated pulmonary metastases: A SEER-based analysis
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Updated: Jan 15, 2026

Practical Considerations in Studying Metastatic Lung Colonization in Osteosarcoma Using the Pulmonary Metastasis Assay
Published on: March 12, 2018
1Department of Orthopedics, Gansu Province People's Hospital, Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, China.
Background:
Osteosarcoma frequently metastasizes to the lungs. The role of surgical intervention in patients with isolated pulmonary metastases and early-stage primary tumors (T1-T2) remains unclear.
Methods:
Data from the SEER database were used to identify osteosarcoma patients diagnosed with T1-T2 stage disease and isolated lung metastases. Patients were categorized based on whether they underwent surgery for the primary tumor. Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to reduce baseline differences.
Results:
Before PSM, surgery was associated with significantly improved overall survival (OS) (median OS: 19.0 vs 7.0 months, P < 0.001). After PSM, a trend toward better OS persisted (median OS: 13.0 vs 9.0 months, P = 0.253), though not statistically significant. Surgery was also associated with lower cancer-related death rates both before and after PSM.
Conclusions:
Surgical resection of the primary tumor may confer a survival benefit in T1-T2 osteosarcoma patients with isolated pulmonary metastases. These findings support the continued evaluation of surgical strategies in metastatic osteosarcoma and underscore the need for prospective validation.

