Osteosarcoma - the theoretical basis of its management

Abstract

In osteosarcoma, the primary lesion is just a minor component. Once a primary lesion appears, the disease is already Widespread in the form of micrometastases. This issue is compounded by the fact that osteosarcoma is a composite tumour of up to nine cell types with different resistance patterns against therapy and body defence mechanisms. Its control and therapy, therefore, depend upon the extent of the systemic component of the tumour rather than the primary. Although great advancement in the art and science of managing osteasarcoma has been made, the very foundations of the entire management have been reviewed in this thesis and much empiricism has been narrowed down to what could lead to the final attack of the disease for its arrest and for its total cure scientifically. Where it is felt that the question of ethics will arise in carrying out scientific experiments in human beings, laboratory animal and tissue culture models have been proposed, with vital scope for future developments.