What are some of the signs and symptoms of osteogenic sarcoma?
    Normally patients feel pain over the affected site. There may or may not be a mass over the tumor site on the bone. Moving or placing weight on the limb usually causes more pain. Sometimes children avoid walking, or they might limp. The area around the tumor may be red or puffy, and there may be a pulse at the site. The signs and symptoms can be present for as long as six months before the tumor is diagnosed.

What causes osteognic sarcoma?
    As with all cancer, there is no definite, known cause; nor are there factors which place some children at particular risk. Case studies do show some families with a higher incidence of osteogenic sarcoma. Children with a history of retinoblastoma, cancer of the retina of the eye, are known to have an increased risk of osteogenic sarcoma.

Who gets osteogenic sarcoma?
    "Osteo" most commonly occurs in the second decade of life. This has been linked to the rapid growth spurts that children experience during puberty. Often children with osteogenic sarcoma are tall compared to their peers, and females are at a higher risk for osteo early in puberty or before because of their advanced development. However, the numbers of osteo cases in boys gets larger throughout puberty while the number in girls stays about the same.

What are metastases?
    Metastases refers to the spread of cancer from its original site to other parts of the body. About 10 to 20 percent of all patients have metastases when they are diagnosed. The most common location for metastases are the lungs. Other sites may be the kidneys, adrenal glands, lining of the lungs, other bones and the cardiac muscle.

How can osteogenic sarcoma be treated?
    Osteogenic sarcoma is treated by chemotherapy and surgery.
    Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. In the past it has shown that surgery alone is not enough in treating osteogenic sarcoma. Chemotherapy not only destroys cancer cells, but also affects the growth of normal cells and therefore has side effects.
    Surgical procedures include amputation (the removal of all or part of a limb); and “limb salvage” procedures in which the tumor is removed and that part of the bone is reconstructed. Sometimes a limb salvage procedure is not possible because of the location and/or the nature of the tumor. While limb salvage procedures avoid amputation, they have their own potential risks and complications. You will be able to discuss the best course of action for your child with both your oncologist and an orthopedic surgeon who is skilled in performing these surgeries.