What is meant by osteosarcoma?
Rachel Hickman
Published Mar 10, 2026
What is meant by osteosarcoma?
(OS-tee-oh-sar-KOH-muh) A cancer of the bone that usually affects the large bones of the arm or leg. It occurs most commonly in young people and affects more males than females. Also called osteogenic sarcoma.
Is osteosarcoma a type of cancer?
Osteosarcoma is a type of bone cancer that usually develops in the osteoblast cells that form bone. It happens most often in children, adolescents, and young adults. Approximately 800 new cases of osteosarcoma are reported each year in the U.S. Of these cases, about 400 are in children and teens.
Is osteosarcoma a survival?
The 5-year survival rate of people with osteosarcoma is 60%. If the cancer is diagnosed at the localized stage, the 5-year survival rate is 74%. If the cancer has spread to surrounding tissues or organs and/or the regional lymph nodes, the 5-year survival rate is 66%.
What causes osteosarcoma?
Most osteosarcomas are not caused by inherited gene mutations, but instead are the result of gene changes acquired during the person’s lifetime. Sometimes these gene changes are caused by radiation therapy used to treat another form of cancer, because radiation can damage the DNA inside cells.
What is high grade osteosarcoma?
High grade surface osteosarcoma is a type of high grade osteosarcoma that develops on the surface of the bone from the outer cortex. The microscopic pathology is the same as a conventional osteosarcoma and it has the same high potential for metastasizing.
How many cases of osteosarcoma per year?
Each year, about 1,000 new cases of osteosarcoma are diagnosed in the United States. About half of these are in children and teens. Most osteosarcomas occur in children, teens, and young adults between the ages of 10 and 30. Teens are the most commonly affected age group, but people of any age can develop osteosarcoma.
Can osteosarcoma cancer be cured?
About 1 out of 5 osteosarcomas have spread already when they are first diagnosed. These cancers are harder to treat, but some can be cured if the metastases can be removed by surgery. The cure rate for these cancers improves markedly if chemotherapy is also given.
What is meant by 5-year survival rate?
The percentage of people in a study or treatment group who are alive five years after they were diagnosed with or started treatment for a disease, such as cancer. The disease may or may not have come back.
How long do osteosarcoma patients live?
Survival rates can give you an idea of what percentage of people with the same type and stage of cancer are still alive a certain amount of time (usually 5 years) after they were diagnosed….Osteosarcoma 5-year relative survival rates.
| SEER stage | 5-year relative survival rate |
|---|---|
| Distant | 27% |
| All SEER stages combined | 60% |
How bad is osteosarcoma?
If the disease is localized (has not spread to other areas of the body), the long-term survival rate is 70 to 75%. If osteosarcoma has already spread to the lungs or other bones at diagnosis, the long-term survival rate is about 30%.
Does osteosarcoma run in families?
The cause of osteosarcoma is not known. In some cases, it runs in families, and at least one gene has been linked to increased risk. Treatment varies from person to person and may include surgery, chemotherapy , radiation therapy , and samarium.
How long can you live with osteosarcoma?
