Treatment for bone cancers usually involves surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, alone or in combination. The treatment that is delivered will be standardised by tailoring to the child’s cancer type, size and location and the child’s age as a part of the treatment protocol developed by their multidisciplinary team. This consists of a Paediatric Haematologist-Oncologist, Sarcoma surgeon, Radiation Oncologist, the child and their parents, and allied health team members.
Surgery is the mainstay of treatment for Osteosarcoma. Depending on the location of the cancer, surgery may involve removing the affected part of bone (limb-salvage) or in certain cases, removal of the entire limb (amputation).
Chemotherapy is used as the treatment for high-grade osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma to:
- Reduce the size of a tumour ahead of surgery
- Destroy any remaining cancer cells following surgery or radiation therapy
Osteosarcoma is not known to be very sensitive to radiation therapy. Radiation therapy is typically used for the treatment of Ewing’s sarcoma together with chemotherapy and/or surgery.