[Adjuvant therapy in the management of osteosarcomas: the O3 trial (EORTC and ISPO) ]

The European Organization for Research on the Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and the international Society of Pediatric Oncology (ISPO) have set up a randomized controlled trial designed to compare three different regimens of adjuvant therapy applied after treatment of the primary tumor (usually by radical surgery): a prolonged course of chemotherapy (41 weeks) combining adriamycin, methotrexate in high doses followed by folinic acid, vincristine, and cyclophosphamide; radiotherapy delivering 20 grays to the lungs; and a short course of chemotherapy (8 weeks) combining adriamycin, methotrexate in high doses, folinic acid and vincristine, associated with irradiation of the lungs as in the preceding protocol. At the time being, 156 patients have been included in this study. If conclusions are to be drawn from this trial, a total of 300 patients seems necessary.