The prediction of histologic tumor response to preoperative chemotherapy was assessed by quantitative scintigraphic follow-up examinations of 54 osteosarcomas. Tumor/non-tumor scintimetry using 99mTc labeled diphosphonates allowed accurate prediction of tumor response in 28 of 30 tumors (accuracy = 93%) after completion and in 10 of 12 osteosarcomas (accuracy = 83%) at the half-way stage of preoperative chemotherapy evaluating only those tumors which showed convergent changes of tumor/non-tumor ratios in the perfusion and the mineral phase. At the half-way stage, however, evaluation of chemotherapy effects was complicated in 12 of 23 osteosarcomas by diverging T/NT ratios. In contrast, quantification and mapping of the tumor plasma volume and 99mTc MDP plasma clearance predicted the histologic tumor response to chemotherapy in 12 of 13 tumors (accuracy = 92%) after completion and in all 11 cases (accuracy = 100%) at the half-way stage.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[The German Society of Pediatric Oncology Cooperative Ewing Sarcoma Studies CESS 81/86: report after 6 1/2 years].

The GPO Cooperative Ewing's Sarcoma Study (CESS 81 with 10 months four-drug combination chemotherapy (vincristine, actinomycin D, cyclophosphamide, and adriamycin = VACA) and local control with surgery and/or radiation, following week 18, resulted in a Kaplan-Meier estimated disease-free survival of 51% after 6 1/2 years (51/93 patients disease-free). Tumor volume and histological response to primary chemotherapy were identified as most significant prognostic factors. As a consequence, the CESS 86 regimen was stratified according to risk of relapse. Standard risk patients (extremity tumors less than 100 ml tumor volume) were continued on VACA chemotherapy. In high risk patients (extremity tumors greater than 100 ml tumor volume, central tumors), cyclophosphamide in conventional dose (1200 mg/m2/course) was replaced by high doses of ifosfamide (6 g/m2/course) with mesna uroprotection (VAIA). Local control was obtained following week 9. Patients with radiation were randomised for conventional fractionation or accelerated split-course hyperfractionation. The study was piloted from February to December 1985: 27/37 patients were disease-free on October 1, 1987. The ongoing trial was started on January 1, 1986. On October 1, 1987. 63/66 patients were disease-free. In patients with large primaries, according to Kaplan-Meier life-table analysis, the disease-free survival was significantly better in patients receiving VAIA chemotherapy, compared to the previous VACA regimen. The toxicity of both combination chemotherapy regimens was comparable.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Results of treatment of primary metastatic Ewing sarcoma. A retrospective analysis of 48 patients].

The clinical presentation of the disease and the results of treatment in 48 patients with metastases at diagnosis of Ewing's sarcoma, entered into the Cooperative Ewing's Sarcoma Studies (CESS) 1981 and 1986 of the German Society of Pediatric Oncology (GPO), were analysed. The period of observation ranged from 1 to 82 months, the median relapse-free time was 26 months. There was a male predominance of 35 to 13, which was even more pronounced in patients older than 15 years. The predominant localization of the primary tumor was the pelvic region, followed by the extremities, the chest wall, and the spine. The most common site of primary metastases were the lungs, followed by bone and bone marrow. Nine patients presented with combined metastases. The disease-free survival according to Kaplan-Meier life-table analysis was 18% after 7 years. Best results were obtained in patients with pulmonary metastases only, who underwent surgical resection of the primary tumor and received radiation to the lungs. Without bone marrow transplantation the prognosis of patients with bone metastases was extremely poor.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Results of the COSS-77 and COSS-80 studies on adjuvant chemotherapy in osteosarcoma of the extremities].

In the first study, COSS-77, 100 patients with OS were treated for 12 months according to a CT-protocol consisting of high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX), adriblastine (ADR) and cyclophosphamide (CP). At 40 months the expected continuous disease-free survival (CDFS) rate of the 71 evaluable patients was 55%. After exclusion of local recurrences (n = 2) and fatal chemotherapy toxicities (n = 0) a reduced group of 69 patients remained and the expected CDFS rate at 40 months became 56%. In the second study, COSS-80, the MTX dose was doubled. Two groups were randomly selected, one of which received cisplatinum (CPL) and the other the triple drug combination bleomycin + CP + dactinomycin (BCD) in addition to MTX and ADR, both groups being treated for 8 months. Furthermore some randomly selected patients received fibroblaste-interferon (IF). The expected CDFS rate at 40 months of the 115 evaluable COSS-80 patients was 67%. 106 patients remained in a reduced group defined as above (4 local recurrences and 5 CT toxicities) in which the expected CDFS rate at 40 months was 73%. This is significantly better (p less than 0.05) than the results obtained from the COSS-77 group. No differences were found between the CPL and BCD arms of the COSS-80 group or between the arms receiving or not receiving IF. A significant increase in the CDFS rate for young (less than 12 years) and male patients over that in COSS-77 was observed in COSS-80, probably due to the increased MTX dose.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amputation, Surgical↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Current classification of primary malignant bone tumors].

The classification of primary malignant bone tumors has to include: 1. Histologic diagnosis, iusing immunohistochemistry especially in small-round- and spindle-cell tumors. 2. Grading of malignancy, iusing proliferation factors. 3. Definition of compartmentalisation. 4. Staging. Only when all these factors are defined it is possible to plan the best therapy, to compare the results of different centers and to overwork it scientifically. Investigation of chromosomes, oncogenes, chemotherapy resistance a.o. are to be added for classification in next future.

Bone Neoplasms↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[The limits of saving the extremity--amputation versus resection].

On the basis of the extensive data contained in the Vienna Bone Tumor Register, i.e. 839 primary malignant bone tumors, as well as of 554 cases treated at the Orthopedic Department of the University of Vienna Medical School, a comparison between the methods of surgery applied at pelvis and extremities during the past two decades can be drawn. Resectional therapy had been performed in twice as much patients as amputation therapy, and barely 20%, mostly with multiple metastases, had been merely treated with palliative surgery or were just biopsied and underwent chemo- and radiotherapy. An analysis of amputations and resections, subdivided into pelvis and sacrum resections, resectional reconstructions and resectional reimplantations at the extremities, shows approximately the same low incidence of local recurrences in the groups amputation versus resection, but a significantly higher involvement of pelvis and sacrum resections as well as no local recurrences in the group of 48 resectional reimplantations. As regards the oncologic radicality of surgical margins, in cases of resections, as compared to amputations, about twice as much inadequate operations had to be accepted, though. The fact that the local recurrences did not increase to the same degree, but were approximately equilibrated, seems to be due to the new chemotherapeutic treatment which had been initiated at the same time as the frequent application of resectional therapy. The conservation of extremities contains twice as high a risk of inadequate operation, but it is, in cases of effective chemotherapy, comparable with the former results of amputations, as regards local recurrences.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amputation, Surgical↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Neoadjuvant therapy for localized osteosarcoma of extremities. Results from the Cooperative osteosarcoma study group COSS of 925 patients].

BACKGROUND: Owing to twenty years of multicentric interdisciplinary cooperation, the COSS group has been able to collect data on a large group of osteosarcoma patients treated by neoadjuvant therapy. This paper reviews results achieved in patients with localized extremity tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS INCLUSION CRITERIA: Registration into a completed neoadjuvant COSS-Study. Histologically confirmed, primary, localized, high-grade, central osteosarcoma of an extremity; age < 40 years; no pretreatment; interval diagnosis to chemotherapy < or = 3 weeks; no severe comorbidity. Chemotherapy: HD-methotrexate +/- doxorubicin +/- cisplatin +/- ifosfamide +/- BCD. Scheduled local therapy: Surgery. RESULTS: 925 evaluable patients from 101 institutions. Median age 15 years, m:f 1.4:1. Primary site: femur 510, tibia 251, humerus 100, fibula 51, other 13. Tumor-size < 1/3 of the involved bone 616, > or = 1/3 304. Definitive surgery in 903/925 cases, 443 limb salvage procedures. Good response (> 90% necrosis) in 469/806 (58.2%) evaluated tumors. Median follow-up for surviving patients: 5.42 years. Actuarial survival after 5 and 10 years: 72.5% (95%-CI 69.3-75.7) and 66.3% (62.5-70.0), relapse-free 62.1% (58.7-65.4) and 59.4% (55.8-63.0). 683/925 alive (601 first remission), 242 deceased (212 tumor progression, 30 other causes). 66.2% (97.3%) of all relapses within 2 (5) years. Prognosis correlates with tumor-size (< vs. > or = 1/3: 69.9% vs. 58.3% at 10 years) and -site (tibia: 74.2%, humerus: 54.5%) and -response (good vs. poor: 78.2% vs. 52.5%) (all p < 0.01). Actuarial 10-year survival by response grading I-VI according to Salzer-Kuntschik 80.9%, 82.8%, 71.1%, 60.7%, 47.7%, 27.3%. COSS-studies with preoperative 4-drug therapy more efficacious than less aggressive protocols. No impact of doxorubicin scheduling (sequential: rapid vs. 48 h-continuous infusion) or cisplatin scheduling (randomized: 5 h vs. 72 h-infusion) on prognosis detected. CONCLUSIONS: Intensive multiagent chemotherapy and delayed surgery for localized extremity osteosarcoma led to excellent oncologic results in the COSS-studies. Tumor-size, -site, and -response as well as the intensity of upfront chemotherapy correlated with outcome. Giving doxorubicin and cisplatin by continuous infusions did not result in discernible prognostic disadvantages.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Effect of a local surgical procedure on the incidence of metastases following neoadjuvant chemotherapy of osteosarcoma].

Following preoperative chemotherapy of 9-18 weeks duration limb salvage procedures were performed instead of ablative surgery in about 1/2 of the patients (pts). Overall continuous disease-free survival rate is 69% (80/115) at 37 (21-51) months. 5 pts died from therapy related complications, 4 developed a local failure (2 following amputation and 2 following limb salvage each) and 26 pts developed pulmonary metastases. The incidence of pulmonary metastases after en bloc resection, but not after shank rotation plasty, was found to be significantly increased over that after ablative surgery (83% vs 60% metastases free survival (MFS) at 40 months, p less than 0.05). The outcome was most unfavourable following en bloc resection of large tumors (36% MFS) and of tumors poorly responding to preoperative chemotherapy. Delaying surgery for preoperative chemotherapy in itself did not influence MFS-rate but it enabled a thorough planing and preparation of surgical procedures. Chemotherapy has very much improved the prognosis of osteosarcoma, trials on limb salvage surgery are indicated therefore. However, these procedures appear to be hazardous by increasing the rate of pulmonary metastases. Until the underlying mechanisms are not uncovered and preventive strategies worked out, limb salvage surgery in osteosarcoma has to be regarded and handled as an experimental procedure.

Amputation, Surgical↗