Brain metastases in osteosarcoma. Report of a long-term survivor and review of the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital experience.

BACKGROUND

Brain metastasis has been considered a rare event in osteosarcoma, although with prolonged survival an increasing incidence has been suggested. There have been no prior reports of long-term survivors among patients with this complication.

METHODS

The authors describe a child treated for osteosarcoma who is alive and free of disease 8 years after the detection of brain metastases. Of 254 patients with primary osteosarcoma referred to St. Jude Children's Hospital between 1962 and 1989, 13 developed brain metastases, all after relapse or recurrence in another site. Concomitant active lung metastases were present in all of the patients except the one long-term survivor, whose pulmonary disease had responded to treatment with cisplatin and doxorubicin. Log-rank analyses were used to compare survival duration and the frequency of brain metastases among patients treated before and after 1982, when effective multiagent therapy was initiated.

RESULTS

Log-rank analyses comparing patients treated before and after 1982 showed that the introduction of effective modern therapy improved survival among patients at risk for brain metastases (i.e., those with recurrent and progressive disease, P = 0.007) but was not associated with a statistically significant increase in the frequency of brain metastases (15.5% versus 4.5%, P = 0.125).

CONCLUSIONS

Although the outlook for patients with this complication remains bleak, the resolution of brain metastases after eight courses of ifosfamide in the patient described in this article suggests that enrollment of selected patients in Phase II trials is merited.