title: Pathological fractures in predicting clinical outcomes for patients with osteosarcoma.
abstract: Studies reported contradictory results for the prognostic significance of a pathological fracture in osteosarcoma patients. The aim of this study is to report the outcomes for a cohort of patients with osteosarcoma who presented with and without pathological fractures and to identify the prognostic importance of pathological fracture in predicting outcomes and influences on survival.
  
  
  
  Data of patients with osteosarcoma were retrospectively reviewed. Between March 1992 and June 2014, a total of 268 patients with osteosarcoma were included in this analysis, of whom 34 (12.7%) with fractures at diagnosis or sustained after chemotherapy and 234 (87.3%) without fracture. All patients were treated with approaches that integrated chemotherapy and surgical resections to maximal extent of all sites whenever feasible. The association between potential prognostic factors and survival for these patients were analyzed and compared.
  
  
  
  No significant difference was observed in overall survival, progression free survival, and disease free survival between osteosarcoma patients with pathological fractures and without fracture. The patients without fracture had a 5-year survival of 50% and 10-year survival of 21%, in contrast to 37% (5-year) and 22% (10-year) in patients with fractures. Lung metastasis was the significant predictor for the presence of fractures. Advanced stage (III) of tumor, lung metastasis, poor response to chemotherapy, and local recurrence were associated increased risk for death in all osteosarcoma patients.
  
  
  
  Pathological fracture is not a predictor of worse survival in this study. Further studies with matched cases are needed to confirm our observations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Therapeutical and Research Center of Musculoskeletal Tumor, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No. 201, Sec. 2, Shih-Pai Rd., Taipei, 112, Taiwan.|Department of Orthopaedics, Chia-Yi Yang Ming Hospital, Chia-Yi, Taiwan.|Department of Orthopedic Surgery, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Lien-Hsiang
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Therapeutical and Research Center of Musculoskeletal Tumor, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No. 201, Sec. 2, Shih-Pai Rd., Taipei, 112, Taiwan.|Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.|Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Orthopedic Surgery, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Po-Kuei
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Therapeutical and Research Center of Musculoskeletal Tumor, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No. 201, Sec. 2, Shih-Pai Rd., Taipei, 112, Taiwan.|Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Cheng-Fong
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Therapeutical and Research Center of Musculoskeletal Tumor, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No. 201, Sec. 2, Shih-Pai Rd., Taipei, 112, Taiwan.|Department of Orthopedic Surgery, National Cheng Kung University Hospital; College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan and Dou-Liou Branch, Taiwan.|Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hung-Kai
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Therapeutical and Research Center of Musculoskeletal Tumor, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No. 201, Sec. 2, Shih-Pai Rd., Taipei, 112, Taiwan.|Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tain-Hsiung
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Therapeutical and Research Center of Musculoskeletal Tumor, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No. 201, Sec. 2, Shih-Pai Rd., Taipei, 112, Taiwan. wmchen@vghtpe.gov.tw.|Rehabilitation and Technical Aid Center, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. wmchen@vghtpe.gov.tw.|Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. wmchen@vghtpe.gov.tw.|Department of Orthopedic Surgery, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan. wmchen@vghtpe.gov.tw.
authors.forename: Wei-Ming
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005598:Fractures, Spontaneous / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary; D008297:Male; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012516:Osteosarcoma / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents
keywords: Chemotherapy; Lung metastasis; Osteosarcoma; Pathological fracture; Prognostic factors; Survival