Osteosarcoma

An osteosarcoma (OS) or osteogenic sarcoma (OGS) (or simply bone cancer) is a cancerous tumor in a bone. Specifically, it is an aggressive malignant neoplasm that arises from primitive transformed cells of mesenchymal origin (and thus a sarcoma) and that exhibits osteoblastic differentiation and produces malignant osteoid. Osteosarcoma is the most common histological form of primary bone sarcoma. It is most prevalent in teenagers and young adults. Many patients first complain of pain that may be worse at night, may be intermittent and of varying intensity and may have been occurring for a long time. Teenagers who are active in sports often complain of pain in the lower femur, or immediately below the knee. If the tumor is large, it can present as overt localised swelling. Sometimes a sudden fracture is the first symptom because the affected bone is not as strong as normal bone and may fracture abnormally with minor trauma. In cases of more deep-seated tumors that are not as close to the skin, such as those originating in the pelvis, localised swelling may not be apparent. Several research groups are investigating cancer stem cells and their potential to cause tumors along with genes and proteins causative in different phenotypes. Radiotherapy for unrelated conditions may be a rare cause. A small supernumerary marker chromosome or a giant rod chromosome is present in the tumor cells of low grade OS including low grade central OS and paraosteal OS (see below Variants section), carry various potentially pro-cancerous genes, and are thought to contribute to the development of these OS. (See Small supernumerary marker chromosomes and giant rod chromosomes in osteosarcomas) Familial cases where the deletion of chromosome 13q14 inactivates the retinoblastoma gene is associated with a high risk of osteosarcoma development. Bone dysplasias, including Paget's disease of bone, fibrous dysplasia, enchondromatosis, and hereditary multiple exostoses, increase the risk of osteosarcoma.

Bcl-xL targeting eliminates ageing tumor-promoting neutrophils and inhibits lung tumor growth

Freddy Radtke, Nadine Fournier, Etienne Meylan, Justine Pascual, Amber Dawn Bowler, Anita Bodac, Vincent Roh

Elevated peripheral blood and tumor-infiltrating neutrophils are often associated with a poor patient prognosis. However, therapeutic strategies to target these cells are difficult to implement due to the life-threatening risk of neutropenia. In a genetica ...

Springernature2024

Atomistic simulation and electron microscopy to characterize grain boundaries in doped beta-tricalcium phosphate ceramics

Gabrielle Anne Laguisma Sblendorio

The limitations and potential complications correlated with autogenous bone grafts have raised interest in the development of synthetic bone graft substitutes. ß-tricalcium phosphate (ß-TCP) is one of the most promising materials for synthetic bone graft s ...

EPFL2021

Bcl-xL targeting eliminates ageing tumor-promoting neutrophils and inhibits lung tumor growth

Atomistic simulation and electron microscopy to characterize grain boundaries in doped beta-tricalcium phosphate ceramics

Establishing multiple osteogenic differentiation pathways of mesenchymal stem cells through different scaffold configurations

Bcl-xL targeting eliminates ageing tumor-promoting neutrophils and inhibits lung tumor growth

Establishing multiple osteogenic differentiation pathways of mesenchymal stem cells through different scaffold configurations

Atomistic simulation and electron microscopy to characterize grain boundaries in doped beta-tricalcium phosphate ceramics