I have questions about osteosarcoma survival rates?
I read on a website that "Recent studies have reported that survival rates of 60% to 80% are possible for osteosarcoma that hasn't spread beyond the tumor".
1. Why do 20% to 40% of people not survive when there is just one tumour? Is that when they can't take it out?
2. What percent of people survive when it has spread to your lungs? Can you survive if it keeps coming back in your lungs but they keep taking it out again?
- Tarkarri
Statistics only give an idea of how a group reacts.
Even where there is only a tiny survival rate, like 1 in 1 million, you still have a chance of being the 1 that makes it.
When fighting cancer, it is sometimes better not to know the odds.
To know how an individual (you) are going it is better to ask your Dr.
- Panda
Tarkarri is right. Statistics are not accurate predictors for individual patients, so talking about survival rates is a generalization as it does not include every single patient who has or who had osteosarcoma.
I think though the answer to your question can come from common sense . . osteosarcoma is an aggressive type of bone cancer and it stands to reason that if a patient is found at an early stage of the disease it is far easier to treat successfully than when it is in an advanced state. But there are no guarantees . . even in the early stages osteosarcoma is aggressive and nasty enough that heavy duty treatments are often required to PREVENT it from advancing. Survival depends on many factors . . age of patient, patients overall health, location of tumors, grade of tumor, and patients response to first line treatment . . not to mention a good amount of 'luck'. People with single tumors who might not survive would include those who are in poor health to begin with, those unable to undergo treatments, those who succumb to the treatment or surgery, those whose age works against them, those who do not survive infections or those who due to other health issues cannot complete or must use reduced treatment options .. and there may be other reasons as well.
Keep in mind too that the treatments for osteosarcoma may vary according to your age . . a pediatric osteosarcoma patient may follow a different protocol than an adult osteosarcoma patient . . which also means the statistics may be blurred between the two age groups. There is a divide between pediatric treatments and adult oncology treatments.
And the answer to your second question is yes patients can survive even if it has spread to the lungs and even if it keeps coming back. The problem however is . . how much heavy duty treatment can a patient take . . the treatment may continue not for months but for years. And eventually the treatment options stop . .either because they are no longer effective or the patient can no longer undergo the intensive treatment needed. There are cases however where mets to the lungs can be treated with RadioFrequency Ablation or surgery that removes the tumors or lung or parts of the effected lung. There are some surgeons who are skilled enough to do this and you can generally find out who they are from online support groups who may be able to point you in the right direction.
ACOR: Osteosarcoma Support Group
http://listserv.acor.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ACOR.EXE?A0=OSTEO-SARCOMA
- Denisedds
Studies are just that studies they are not fact. Survival rates on the other hand are something else. They are not generalizations and they do include every single patient who has or who had osteosarcoma as every single case is reported.
Osteosarcomas usually occur in patients from 10-20 years old and are nearly always high grade. These cancers also have different features that more important in determining prognosis. People survive once it has spread to the lungs. The question is for how long? It is not curable.
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