Original articleSurvival and prognostic factors in Chinese patients with osteosarcoma: 13-year experience in 365 patients treated at a single institution

This study was designed to retrospectively analyze the survival and prognostic factors in Chinese osteosarcoma patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy or/and surgery in a single institution. A total of 365 patients with pathological proved osteosarcoma undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy or/and surgery in a single institution between December 1999 and December 2012 were retrospectively analyzed for the demographic, tumor-related, and treatment-related variables, prognostic factors for survival rate and chemotherapy response. There were 231 males and 134 females (ratio, 1.72:1). The average age was 21 ± 10 years, with peak age between 10 and 20 years old (62%, 226/365). Of 365 patients, 319 (87.4%) suffered from primary tumor only, and 46 (12.6%) had metastases upon initial presentation. The overall 5-year survival rate was 65%. Upon univariate analysis, tumor site (femur 60.3%; other long bone 70.2%; trunk 33.6%; P = 0.012), primary metastases (yes 36.7%; no 68.9%; P = 0.000), tumor response to preoperative chemotherapy (good 89.8%; poor 47.5%; P = 0.001) and recurrence/metastases after treatment (yes 36.2%; no 63.8%; P = 0.000) were associated with higher 5-year survival rate. All factors except tumor site maintained their significance in multivariate testing. Male sex and nonconventional subtype of tumor were related to a higher likelihood of poor chemotherapy response.The absence of metastases at initial presentation, negative local recurrence or metastases after treatment, and tumor response to chemotherapy are of independent prognostic value in osteosarcoma. The overall prognostic factors and survival in Chinese patients are similar to those patients reported in western countries.