Background: Despite the advances in systemic treatment, about 30%-40% of the patients with extremity osteosarcomas relapse and more than 80% of these relapses localize in the lungs. Our understanding of the management of pulmonary metastases from extremity osteosarcomas is largely based on retrospective data from single institutions or compiled from registries; hence, there is great degree of variability in the reported management of pulmonary metastasis in patients with osteosarcomas.
Aims and objectives: To analyze the demographic profile, disease characteristics and survival outcomes of patients who had undergone potentially curative pulmonary metastasectomies from extremity osteosarcomas.
Materials and methods: Retrospective analysis of the 37 patients with resectable pulmonary metastasis (both synchronous and metachronous) from osteosarcoma of the extremity, treated from January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2017 at a tertiary regional cancer center in South India.
Results: The median overall survival (OS) of our patient cohort was 38 ± 2.7 months. The 2-, 3-, and 5-year OS were 86 ± 5.8%, 60.8 ± 8.6%, and 20.7 ± 7.4%, respectively. A formal analysis of the various prognostic factors revealed disease-free interval >2 years, completion of the planned systemic chemotherapy, and absence of pulmonary recurrence post-metastasectomy to be significantly influencing the survival outcomes.
Conclusion: Our study reiterates the need for consideration of pulmonary metastasectomy in carefully selected patients of extremity osteosarcomas. There is a paucity of data on pulmonary metastasectomies from India and our cohort is possibly the largest series for pulmonary metastasectomies from an osteosarcoma primary. In routine clinical practice, we recommend that the final decision to proceed with pulmonary metastasectomy should ideally be taken by a multidisciplinary tumor board on a case-by-case basis.
Keywords: Extremity osteosarcoma; limb salvage surgery; prognosis; pulmonary metastasectomy.