Health & Medicine
Survival Rate Low Among Rare Bone Cancer Patients
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: May 12, 2015 08:31 PM EDT
Research shows that survival from a rare malignancy known as mesenchymal chondrosarcoma, which begins in the cartilage around bones and typically strikes young adults, still remains low at just 20 percent for patients at the 10-year mark.
Researchers at Loyola University Medical Center found that among 205 cases examined, more than half (51 percent) of the patients survived at least five years, while 43 percent moved on to 10 years, according to a news release.
Chondrosarcoma is classified as an uncontrolled growth of cancerous cells that produce cartilage, beginning in or around the bones and spreading to soft tissues. A subtype, mesenchymal chondrosarcoma, is a higher grade, and often aggressive. Treatment typically includes surgery to remove the tumor, and sometimes chemotherapy.
For the study, researchers examined data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program database that was administered through the National Cancer Institute. Then, they analyzed 205 cases of mesenchymal chondrosarcoma that occurred between 1973 and 2011.
Depending on where the tumors were located, survival rates varied. For instance, those with axial tumors (i.e., in the spine, pelvis and trunk) were found to have worse survival outcomes when compared to patients with tumors in arms or legs, because some of the aforementioned areas were more inoperable or less likely to be completely removed safely.
However, researchers also found that survival was higher overall than in previous reports due to improved CT and MRI imaging, as well as the introduction to chemotherapy.
More information regarding the findings can be seen here.
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First Posted: May 12, 2015 08:31 PM EDT
Research shows that survival from a rare malignancy known as mesenchymal chondrosarcoma, which begins in the cartilage around bones and typically strikes young adults, still remains low at just 20 percent for patients at the 10-year mark.
Researchers at Loyola University Medical Center found that among 205 cases examined, more than half (51 percent) of the patients survived at least five years, while 43 percent moved on to 10 years, according to a news release.
Chondrosarcoma is classified as an uncontrolled growth of cancerous cells that produce cartilage, beginning in or around the bones and spreading to soft tissues. A subtype, mesenchymal chondrosarcoma, is a higher grade, and often aggressive. Treatment typically includes surgery to remove the tumor, and sometimes chemotherapy.
For the study, researchers examined data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program database that was administered through the National Cancer Institute. Then, they analyzed 205 cases of mesenchymal chondrosarcoma that occurred between 1973 and 2011.
Depending on where the tumors were located, survival rates varied. For instance, those with axial tumors (i.e., in the spine, pelvis and trunk) were found to have worse survival outcomes when compared to patients with tumors in arms or legs, because some of the aforementioned areas were more inoperable or less likely to be completely removed safely.
However, researchers also found that survival was higher overall than in previous reports due to improved CT and MRI imaging, as well as the introduction to chemotherapy.
More information regarding the findings can be seen here.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone