Long-Term Management of Craniofacial Osteosarcoma

Primary osteosarcoma of the skull in teenager

Osteosarcoma of the skull is a rare primary malignant bone tumour in children, representing 1-2% of all cranial tumours. We describe a case of a 17-year-old adolescent with chondroblastic osteosarcoma of the parietal-occipital bone and no distant metastases at presentation treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgery and, later, concurrent chemoradiotherapy. The patient suffered progressive disease and died 15 months after diagnosis. There are at least 15 paediatric cases of osteosarcoma of the skull described in the literature. Due to its rarity, there are no broad prospective studies on this entity, which has distinctive features when compared to other craniofacial tumours, carrying a worse prognosis. Complete surgical resection is needed for long-term survival, whereas chemotherapy and radiotherapy have still questionable indications.

Treatment and survival of osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma of the skull: a SEER database analysis

Background

Common primary bone tumors include osteosarcomas (OSC) and Ewing sarcomas (EWS). The skull is a rare site, and literature about their treatment and survival is scarce. Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, this study aims to assess the treatment and survival of skull OSC and skull EWS, as well as predictors for survival.

Methods

Skull OSC and EWS cases were obtained from the SEER database. Patient and tumor characteristics, treatment modalities, and survival were extracted. Overall survival (OS) was assessed using multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression stratified by tumor histology. Kaplan-Meier curves were constructed for OS comparing OSC and EWS, as well as histological subtypes in OSC.

Results

A total of 321 skull OSC and 80 skull EWS patients were registered from 1973 to 2013. EWS was more common in younger patients (p < 0.001). Resection was the predominant treatment strategy (80.1%), frequently in combination with adjuvant radiotherapy (30.4%). The 5-year survival rate varied significantly between OSC and EWS (51.0% versus 68.5%, p = 0.02). Kaplan-Meier curves show that EWS had a significantly better survival compared to OSC. Comparing histological subtypes of skull OSC, chondroblastic OSC had the best OS, Paget OSC the worst. Older age, tumor advancement, no surgical treatment, and the use of radiotherapy were identified as independent predictors of decreased OS in skull OSC.

Conclusion

Overall prognosis is better for EWS compared to OSC. Chondroblastic OSC have the best overall survival, while OSC associated with Paget’s disease of the bone has the poorest overall survival.

Osteosarcoma of the Ethmoid Sinus

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a malignant bone tumor and it is very rare in head and neck region. If it arises in this area, most common localizations of this tumor are mandible and maxilla and ethmoid sinus is very rare site for this malignancy. A 43-year-old female admitted to our clinic with the complaint of pain in the right half of the face and headache persisting for 2 months. According to the clinical symptoms and imaging studies, sinonasal ossifying fibroma was suspected. For this reason, patient was operated endoscopically and histopathological examination revealed that osteoid matrix producing atypical osteoblastic cells so these findings identified osteoblastic variant OS. This article is about a very rare case of OS of ethmoid sinus. The differential diagnosis, general characteristics, and classification of this tumor, radiological features, and surgical techniques are also presented.

Primary osteosarcoma of frontal bone: A case report and review of literature

RATIONALE

Primary osteosarcomas of the skull and skull base are rare, comprising <2% of all skull tumors. Primary osteosarcomas of the skull are aggressive neoplasms composed of spindle cells producing osteoid which have poor outcome.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 33-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with a major complaint of a growing mass on her left frontal region of the skull for 10 months. Prior to the accurate diagnosis, the mass on her skull was considered to be eosinophilic granuloma.

DIAGNOSES

Computerized tomogram (CT) scan of skull revealed a lytic lesion causing destruction of left frontal bone with surrounding soft tissue mass. The histological examination of the lesion showed typical features of osteosarcoma.

INTERVENTIONS

The patient received 3 surgeries and adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy for the frontal bone lesion.

OUTCOMES

At the last follow-up, after 4 years, the patient was free of disease both clinically and on imaging by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan after 4 years.

LESSONS

Because osteosarcoma of skull is a rare disease, the early recognition and correct diagnosis are very important for a better prognosis. It is therefore imperative that clinicians recognize osteosarcoma early to make an accurate diagnosis and complete surgical resection followed by combined chemo-radiation is proved to be one of the most optimal treatment regimens.