Osteosarcoma diagnostic methods

Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
Updated on September 07, 2024
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Osteosarcoma Diagnostic Methods: In clinical practice, once osteosarcoma is suspected in a patient, the diagnostic approach, as per the Chinese Cancer Treatment Guidelines, requires a combination of clinical symptoms, radiological data, and pathology. Only through the integration of these three elements can a definitive diagnosis of osteosarcoma be established. Reliance solely on pathology, or exclusively on radiologic examination or clinical examination, can lead to biased results. Given that immediate treatment is crucial upon the discovery of osteosarcoma, and considering the severe implications of treatment costs, patient suffering, and other related issues, it is vital that the diagnosis of osteosarcoma is error-free. To ensure absolute certainty, the approach should involve clinical symptoms supplemented by necessary auxiliary examinations such as X-rays and CT or MRI scans, followed by a diagnostic biopsy for pathological results. This comprehensive combination generally prevents the occurrence of missed or misdiagnoses in patients with osteosarcoma. Therefore, the confirmatory diagnosis of osteosarcoma should not rely solely on one type of examination but should combine clinical assessment with necessary imaging data and pathology to finalize the diagnosis process.

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Written by Wang Cheng Lin
Orthopedics
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Do osteosarcomas hurt?

The early symptoms of osteosarcoma include pain, which initially is intermittent. As the condition progresses, this intermittent pain gradually becomes constant, and the intensity of the pain is parallel to the severity of the osteosarcoma, meaning the more severe the osteosarcoma, the more intense the pain. Additionally, you can also feel a lump forming on the affected limb, and this lump is clearly tender to touch. The third symptom is the occurrence of a limp. This limp is due to pain, which prevents the patient from bearing weight and walking for extended periods. Lastly, all osteosarcomas present symptoms such as anemia, pathologic fractures, and a low-grade fever.

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Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
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Is osteosarcoma treatable?

Osteosarcoma is not about whether it can be treated, but it must be treated. Moreover, the earlier the treatment, the higher the five-year survival rate. Currently, the treatment for osteosarcoma still primarily involves comprehensive therapy centered around surgery. With the advent of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the five-year survival rate for osteosarcoma has significantly increased. Specifically, once osteosarcoma is diagnosed, extensive chemotherapy is administered before surgery. After chemotherapy, depending on the extent of tumor invasion, either radical segmental resection, limb-sparing surgery, or amputation is considered. Postoperative treatment also requires continued high-dose chemotherapy. In fact, if osteosarcoma is not treated, it metastasizes very quickly, primarily to the lungs. However, if the treatment is very early, timely, and correct, the current five-year survival rate has reached about 80%. Therefore, osteosarcoma can be treated, and the earlier the treatment, the better the outcomes.

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Written by Dai Ru
Orthopedics
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Is osteosarcoma bone cancer?

Osteosarcoma is a type of malignant tumor that originates from the bone. Bone cancer is a common term used by people to refer to bone tumors. The terms cancer and sarcoma are different mainly because of their different origins. Cancer primarily originates from epithelial tissue, such as liver cancer, lung cancer, etc. Because bones consist of mesenchymal cells, malignant tumors of the bone are called osteosarcomas, not bone cancer. Osteosarcomas commonly occur in children and adolescents and are a highly malignant type of bone tumor that require prompt treatment once diagnosed.

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Written by Wang Cheng Lin
Orthopedics
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What are the symptoms of osteosarcoma?

Symptoms of Osteosarcoma: The first is pain at the site of occurrence. This pain may be intermittent and not very pronounced in the early stages. As the condition progresses, the severity of the pain gradually increases, transitioning from intermittent to persistent pain; The second is the formation of a lump. You can feel a lump on the limb with your hand, and this lump is clearly tender to the touch; The third is limping, which is mainly caused by the pain in the limb; The fourth is the most common systemic symptoms. Patients with this malignant tumor will exhibit fever, weight loss, anemia, and pathological fractures. These are the main symptoms of osteosarcoma currently observed in clinical settings.

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Written by Guan Jing Tao
Orthopedics
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Can hot compresses relieve pain for osteosarcoma?

Osteosarcoma has very limited pain relief effects through simple or pure hot compresses. As the lesion progresses, hot compresses can become completely ineffective or have very unclear effects. Clinical manifestations include pain and swelling, with local formation of lumps or tumor-like appearances. It can also affect the joint mobility around it, and even cause atrophy of limbs and muscles. In terms of treatment, it still relies on early surgical excision, but the prognosis is still not very optimistic.