[Osteosarcoma and brain metastasis].
BACKGROUND
Since the advent of multimodal therapy, survival among patients with osteosarcoma in general and among those with aggressive tumors has improved. Consequently, the pattern of relapse is also changing. Brain metastasis is considered to be a rare event in osteosarcoma, although recent reports suggest that the incidence of this complication may be increasing.


METHODS
We report two girls with osteoblastic osteosarcoma of the femur with poor response to preoperative chemotherapy. Both patients developed brain metastasis concurrent with or after the development of lung metastasis. Clinical manifestations of brain metastasis were symptoms of intracranial hypertension in one patient, and a complex partial seizure in the other.


CONCLUSIONS
We advocate periodic neurologic examination and neuroradiologic screening for the early detection of brain involvement in patients whose disease recurs within 1 year of diagnosis, in those with metastasis at diagnosis and in those with a poor histologic response to preoperative chemotherapy.
Mateos González
M E
ME
Unidad de Hematología-Oncología Pediátrica. Hospital 12 de Octubre. Madrid. Spain.
López-Laso
E
E
Garrido Colino
C
C
Torres Valdivieso
M J
MJ
López Pérez
J
J
Simón De Las Heras
R
R
D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005266:Femoral Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D005625:Frontal Lobe; D006801:Humans; D012516:Osteosarcoma / Q000473:pathology*