Based on the condition of the tumour or how fast it is growing, how far it has spread, the patient’s age and health condition, doctors begin the treatment process. Here are some common osteosarcoma treatment options -
Surgery
Surgery is helpful in removing the cancerous cells. Any residual cell makes the recovery become difficult. In fact, they further grow into a new tumour. Usually, there are three kinds of surgery, such as limb-sparing surgery, amputation and rotationplasty. The first one is generally used on people whose cancer has not spread that much, and if the tumour is large and affecting the blood vessels, that part has to be amputated. In such cases, the bone is removed during surgery and can be replaced by an artificial limb afterwards.
Chemotherapy
The process involves shrinking the tumour and destroying the cancer cells that are floating around in the blood. Osteosarcoma chemotherapy is usually done before surgery and takes about 10 weeks. However, in some cases, it is also necessary after the surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells. In that case, patients have to undergo adjuvant chemotherapy for another 18 weeks after his/her surgery.
Radiation therapy
Sometimes doctors use external beam radiation therapy to kill the cancer cells that they were unable to take out through surgery. However, this type of therapy is usually applicable if the tumour is in the hip, jawbone or areas where surgery is not possible.
Apart from these, patients suffering from osteosarcoma are also opt for targeted therapy that involves blocking certain proteins important to cancer cells with drugs.
Note that early detection along with an effective treatment by a paediatric oncologist can cure this disease. The emergence of new treatments for osteosarcoma is also increasing the long-term survival rates; however, it is only possible if the tumour has not spread to the lungs.
So, if you are experiencing constant bone pain or swelling, contact your doctor right away!