Telangiectatic Osteosarcoma

Excerpt

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone malignancy of non-hematopoietic origin. Several subtypes of osteosarcoma have been described on pathological evaluation- conventional, small cell, periosteal, parosteal, high-grade surface, low-grade central, giant cell, and telangiectatic types. Telangiectatic osteosarcoma is a rare, aggressive, high-grade malignant neoplasm, accounting for 2 to 12% of all osteosarcoma cases. It is a rare variant of osteosarcoma characterized by distinctive radiographic, gross, and microscopic features. Due to identical radiographic as well as pathological findings, it poses a diagnostic challenge concerning aneurysmal bone cysts and giant cell tumors of bone. Paget first described this variant in 1853. However, Ewing first thought that it was a type of osteosarcoma. Despite more than 150 years of its description, there lacks a consensus regarding the optimal management for these tumors.