Osteosarcoma (or bone cancer) is the name given to a tumour disease originating from bone tissue cells. This tissue is derived from the mesoderm, which is the part of the embryo that will transform during its development into certain tissues such as muscles, cartilage, joints, bones, connective tissues (e.g. tendons), blood and lymphatic vessels, and fatty tissues.
Bones are composed of several types of tissue: bone tissue, strictly speaking, along with others such as collagen, fibrous, vascular tissue, etc. Three different types of cells can be identified in bone tissue: osteocytes, osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Each of them has a function that complements the others in a constant balance.
To adequately treat osteosarcoma, the direct collaboration of a group of specialists (orthopaedic surgeons, medical oncologists and radiotherapists) with experience in the treatment of this disease is necessary in order to establish the most appropriate treatment option according to the characteristics of the disease and the patient, and to schedule follow-up or monitoring appointments when treatment is completed.
The Sarcoma Tumour Committee is made up of a multidisciplinary team of expert professionals.
The Traumatology unit's role is to care for the IVO patient when required.
The Service's team of professionals accompanies cancer patients throughout the whole disease process.
A clinical trial is a research study carried out on people with the aim of learning more about how the body reacts to certain treatments. These trials generally seek to find drugs that are more effective than the current best therapeutic option for patients, or that have similar efficacy but a better toxicity profile.
Bearing in mind that almost all currently available treatments are the result of clinical research, the importance of clinical trials is obvious.
The IVO has a clinical trials unit for all types of tumours and participates in phase 1-3 studies as well as other types of studies.
Whether you receive the news of an initial diagnosis of cancer or a relapse, coping with cancer can be emotionally overwhelming. Each person has their own way of coping with an osteosarcoma diagnosis, but there are some recommendations that can help you through this process: