The angiographic response of osteosarcoma following pre-operative chemotherapy

The prognosis of osteosarcoma has improved significantly with recent advances in chemotherapy. Evaluation of the effect of chemotherapy is important for optimal timing of surgery, for selecting an alternative drug regimen in instances of poor response to chemotherapy and for testing combinations of new drugs. The purpose of this paper is to define the value of plain radiographs and angiography in assessing tumor response to chemotherapy. Studies were obtained before and after chemotherapy. The radiographic results were correlated with histologic evaluation of the resected specimen. Patients with less than 10% residual viable tumor in the resected bone were designated “responders” and patients with more than 10% of remaining viable tumor were “nonresponders”. Angiographic appearances correctly separated 15 patients with good response to chemotherapy from seven patients who were not responsive. Conversely, comparison of plain radiographs obtained before and after chemotherapy did not allow a reliable differentiation between patients with good, poor, or no response to chemotherapy. The current role of angiography in the management of patients with osteosarcoma is discussed. It is concluded that — in contrast to plain film radiography — angiography is an accurate method for assessing the response of osteosarcoma to chemotherapy.