Long term survivor osteosarcoma limb salvage

L.

I happened upon this forum while doing some research and I just wanted to share that my son was diagnosed with osteosarcoma left proximal tibia in 1992 when he was 17. He will be 40 this year with no recurrence and no further problems with his knee. He had no metastisis. The tumor was removed with 98% necrosis and clean margins. He had chemo every two weeks followed by (then) experimental limb salvage surgery with cadaver bone replacement and then more rounds of chemo. After that the cadaver bone was found to have fractures so he had to have it removed and was given a titanium knee replacment. We were told thet they wanted to try the cadaver bone replacemnt because that would last longer then the titanium knee replacement which may need to be replaced every 10 yrs. or so. But he still has the original replacement with no, knock on wood!, problems so far. He is not especially careful with it either. He was already 6 ft at age 17 so he did not grow too much more, maybe an inch. He walks with only a very minor barely there limp. At the time he had cancer amputation was strongly recommended by some of his doctors. Because of his age he was able to choose what he wanted and he was against amputation. I am glad he chose how he did and am so thankful that he lived at a time these treatments were available. Ten years earlier his prognosis would have been much poorer but because of the new chemo drugs many more live today. It was a terrible thing to go thrpugh for our whole family but somehow you get the strength to do it. I am intersted to know how many who develop this disease were rapid growers, I thought growing fast and being tall may account for the growth of the tumor.