Improved survival in children with osteosarcoma following resection of pulmonary metastases

Despite the effectiveness of improved chemotherapy and radiotherapy, surgical resection of all gross metatastic disease from the lung appears to improve the survival of children with osteosarcoma. At Children's Orthopedic Hospital and Medical Center (COHMC), from 1952 through 1980, 55 patients were treated for osteosarcoma. Twenty-eight of these patients (4 with active disease) were surviving in January 1981. Six patients had pulmonary metastases at diagnosis and 28 patients developed pulmonary metastases after diagnosis. From 1964 through 1980, 17 patients had 34 thoracotomies for resection of metastases. Seven of these 17 patients (41%) are surviving and remain free of disease. The disease was often bilateral, and in most patients more than one thoracotomy was required to erradicate recurrent disease. No patient who developed pulmonary metastases from osteosarcoma survived without surgical resection of all gross disease. An aggressive surgical approach to the treatment of osteosarcoma metastatic to the lung in children appears worthwhile.