Treatment Outcomes in Osteosarcoma of the Head and Neck: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
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Angela Magri1, Andrea Quaiattini2, Alex Mlynarek3
1Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Background:
Head and neck osteosarcomas (HNOS) are rare, accounting for ~1% of head and neck malignancies. This study systematically evaluated the role of chemotherapy (CT) and radiotherapy (RT) on survival outcomes.
Methods:
A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed following PRISMA guidelines across six databases. Treatment arms included surgery alone or combined with CT and/or RT, given in neoadjuvant or adjuvant settings. Primary outcomes were overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS).
Results:
Thirty-one studies comprising 2006 patients were included. Jaw tumors had superior OS compared to skull base tumors. CT significantly improved OS (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.62-0.89) and DFS (HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.63-0.98), particularly in the neoadjuvant setting, whereas RT showed no survival benefit.
Conclusions:
Systemic therapy in combination with surgery improves OS and DFS in HNOS, reinforcing its importance as part of curative-intent treatment.