The Diagnosis and Treatment of Osteosarcoma and Ewing's Sarcoma in Children and Adolescents

Background: Osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma in children and adolescents require age-specific interdisciplinary diagnosis and treatment to achieve optimal therapeutic outcomes.

Methods: The diagnosis and treatment of malignant bone tumors in childhood and adolescence are presented in the light of publications retrieved by a selective search, pertinent guidelines, and the authors' extensive experience in an interdisciplinary cancer center.

Results: Bone sarcomas make up approximately 5% of all malignancies in children and adolescents; the most common types are Ewing's sarcoma and osteosarcoma. Patients are often not referred to a specialized center until long after the onset of symptoms, as they and their physicians rarely consider the possibility of a bone tumor, and the symptoms are often trivialized. Bone pain of unknown origin, swelling, and functional limitations should be investigated with conventional x-rays. Lesions of unclear origin should be biopsied after a meticulous clinical and radiologic evaluation. Multimodal treatment consists of neo - adjuvant chemotherapy, limb-preserving resection if possible, and radiotherapy where indicated. In multicenter studies, patients with osteosarcoma achieve event-free survival in 64% of cases if their disease is localized, and 28% if it is metastatic; the corresponding figures for patients with Ewing's sarcoma are 80% and 27%, respectively.

Conclusion: With implementation of the current treatment recommendations, most children and adolescents with malignant bone tumors can be treated successfully with curative intent. These patients should be referred to a sarcoma center for diagnosis and treatment.