Osteosarcoma

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Osteogenic Sarcoma (osteosarcoma) is a bone forming cancer. It is the most frequent type of bone tumour and is most common between the ages of 15 to 25. Over 90% of tumours are located in the metaphysis (the growing ends of the bone), the most common sites are the bones around the knee which account for 80% of cases. Osteosarcomas vary greatly in radiological and pathological features and therefore needs careful diagnosis to differentiate this from other bone tumours. Most are high grade intramedullary osteosarcomas, about 5% are low grade lesions, some are secondary osteosarcomas (for example those caused by radiation therapy). Figure 1. Radiograph showing an osteolytic and osteoblastic intra-medullary tumor characteristic of osteosarcoma. From Layfield J et al. Clin Med Pathol. 2008; 1: 55-59. Available under a Creative Commons CC-BY-3.0 license.

Menu: Osteosarcoma

Information for Patients and Family

Information for Health Professionals / Researchers

Latest Research Publications

Osteosarcoma FAQs

Bone Cancer Resources

Information Patients and Family (13 links)

 Osteosarcoma and Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma of Bone Treatment

National Cancer Institute
PDQ summaries are written and frequently updated by editorial boards of experts Further info.


 Bone cancer (sarcoma)

NHS Choices
NHS Choices information is quality assured by experts and content is reviewed at least every 2 years. Further info.
Overview of promary bone cancers in general, though does include some specific information about Osteosarcoma, Ewing's Sarcoma, Chondrosarcoma and Spindle cell sarcoma.   Ewing's Sarcoma Ewing's Sarcoma Ewing's Sarcoma - Molecular Biology

 Bone Cancer Research Trust

Information is reviewed by a panel of scientific and clinical experts, patients, parents/ carers, Further info.
BCRT became a registered the charity in 2006 and raises funds for research into primary bone cancer, and provides information and support for patients and their families. The Website includes information booklets, personal stories and a section for teenagers.   Bone Cancers Ewing's Sarcoma Ewing's Sarcoma Ewing's Sarcoma - Molecular Biology

 Osteosarcoma

Macmillan Cancer Support
Content is developed by a team of information development nurses and content editors, and reviewed by health professionals. Further info.


 Osteosarcoma - Childhood

Cancer.Net
Content is peer reviewed and Cancer.Net has an Editorial Board of experts and advocates. Content is reviewed annually or as needed. Further info.


 What is osteosarcoma?

Bone Cancer Research Trust
Information is reviewed by a panel of scientific and clinical experts, patients, parents/ carers, Further info.
Overview of Osteosarcoma and the different types of the disease.

  Osteosarcoma


Mayo Clinic
Dr. Carola Arndt discusses osteosarcoma which is one of the most common malignant tumors of bone in teenagers and young adults. She discusses diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of osteosarcoma. Also mentions the Children's Oncology group and EURAMOS study. Mentions the multi-disciplinary approach at Mayo Clinic.

 European and American Osteosarcoma Study Group

EURAMOS
Includes information about the EURAMOS-1 clinical trial. There is also detailed information about osteosarcoma and patients' art work.

 Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative

Founded in 2003 the initiative aims improve the quality of life for people dealing with sarcomas around the world, raising awareness and research funds. It has an international panel of medical experts.   Ewing's Sarcoma Soft Tissue Sarcomas Ewing's Sarcoma Ewing's Sarcoma - Molecular Biology

 Osteosarcoma

American Cancer Society
A detailed guides

 Osteosarcoma

Childrens' Oncology Group
Includes information, with sections on newly diagnosed, in treatment and after treatment.

 Sarcoma UK

A charity for bone and soft-tissue sarcomas in the UK. The organisation raises funds for research and provides information and support.

 Sarcoma UK Online Support Group

Sarcoma UK
This group is for the benefit of sarcoma patients, carers and their families being treated in the UK on the NHS or privately.

Information for Health Professionals / Researchers (9 links)

• PubMed search for publications about Osteosarcoma - Limit search to: [Reviews]

  PubMed Central search for free-access publications about Osteosarcoma
  MeSH term: Osteosarcoma
  US National Library of Medicine
  PubMed has over 22 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Constantly updated.

 Osteosarcoma and Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma of Bone Treatment

National Cancer Institute
PDQ summaries are written and frequently updated by editorial boards of experts Further info.


 Bonetumor.org

A website by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Henry DeGroot, with contributions from numerous clinical colleagues. It includes numerous case studies, including radiology and pathology images, and information covering a comprehensive range of bone tumours.    Bone Cancers Ewing's Sarcoma Ewing's Sarcoma Ewing's Sarcoma - Molecular Biology

 Case 10: A 12 year old male with an osteolytic lesion of the proximal left tibia

Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh

 Case 44: Pain in Lower Thigh

Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh

 Clinical Case: 51 year old with knee pain (small cell osteosarcoma)

BoneTumour.org

 European and American Osteosarcoma Study Group

EURAMOS
Includes information about the EURAMOS-1 clinical trial. There is also detailed information about osteosarcoma and patients' art work.

 Pediatric Osteosarcoma

Medscape
A detailed clinical case covering an overview, workup/investigations and treatment and follow-up. The case includes radiology images.

 Telangiectatic Osteosarcoma

Medscape
A detailed clinical case covering an overview, workup/investigations and treatment. The case includes radiology and pathology images.

See also: Genetic features of Osteosarcoma

Latest Research Publications

This list of publications is regularly updated (Source: PubMed).

Pelvic reconstruction after sacral resection is challenging in terms of anatomical complexity, excessive loadbearing, and wide defects. Nevertheless, the technological development of 3D-printed implants enables us to overcome these difficulties. Here, we present a case of sacral osteosarcoma surgically treated with hemisacrectomy and sacral reconstruction using a 3D-printed implant. The implant was printed as a customized titanium prosthesis from a 3D real-sized reconstruction of a patient's CT images. It consisted mostly of a porous mesh and incorporated a dense strut. After 3-months of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the patient underwent hemisacretomy with preservation of contralateral sacral nerves. The implant was anatomically installed on the defect and fixed with a screw-rod system up to the level of L3. Postoperative pain was significantly low and the patient recovered sufficiently to walk as early as 2 weeks postoperatively. The patient showed left-side foot drop only, without loss of sphincter function. In 1-year follow-up CT, excellent bony fusion was noticed. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a case of hemisacral reconstruction using a custom-made 3D-printed implant. We believe that this technique can be applied to spinal reconstructions after a partial or complete spondylectomy in a wide variety of spinal diseases.

Related: Bone Cancers

Previous studies have shown that MiR-451 plays an important role in human osteosarcoma carcinogenesis, but the underlying mechanism by which MiR-451 affects the osteosarcoma has not been fully understood. This study intends to uncover the mechanism by which MiR-451 functions as a tumor suppressor. The expression of MiR-451 in osteosarcoma tissues and osteosarcoma cell lines was monitored by real-time PCR. The proliferation ability was examined by MTT and cell cycle assay. The migration and apoptosis of cells were monitored by migration assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Moreover, the angiogenesis of HUVEC cells transfected with MiR-451 mimics was examined by tube formation assay. The effect of MiR-451 on MIF was determined by luciferase assays and Western blot assay. The results showed that MiR-451 expression level was significantly reduced in the osteosarcoma compared with normal bone tissues. Overexpression of MiR-451 significantly attenuated the proliferation and migration, and induced the apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells. Furthermore, the angiogenesis of HUVEC cells transfected with MiR-451 mimics was assayed and the decreased angiogenic ability was detected compared to the controls. Finally, we demonstrated that MiR-451 overexpression inhibited the malignant behavior of osteosarcoma by downregulating MIF. These findings suggest that MiR-451 may act as a tumor suppressor in osteosarcoma. MiR-451 inhibited cell proliferation, migration and angiogenesis and promoted apoptosis of human osteosarcoma cells, at least partially, by inhibiting the expression of MIF. MiR-451/MIF may be a novel therapeutic target in treatment of osteosarcoma.

Related: Apoptosis Bone Cancers MicroRNAs Angiogenesis and Cancer MIF

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to be critical players in osteosarcoma (OS). Among numerous cancer-related miRNAs, the expression level of miR-92a and its potential role in OS has not been investigated. Here, We showed that overexpression of miR-92a was identified in OS specimens and cells compared to normal bone tissues. The high level of miR-92a was correlated with high T classification and advanced clinical stages of OS patients. Notably, miR-92a highly expressing OS patients showed a notably reduced survival rate. In vitro experiments showed that loss of miR-92a inhibited U2OS cell proliferation and cell-cycle progression while induced apoptosis. In turn, its restoration facilitated MG-63 cell growth and suppressed apoptosis. Experimental nude mice showed that miR-92a silencing prohibited the in vivo growth of OS cells. Furthermore, bioinformatics software predicted that F-box and WD repeat-containing protein 7 (FBXW7) was a direct target of miR-92a. We then observed the negative regulation of miR-92a on FBXW7 expression and the direct binding between them was further verified by dual-luciferase assays in OS cells. Forced expression of FBXW7 resulted in reduced proliferation, cell cycle arrest at G1 phase and increased apoptosis in miR-92a overexpressing MG-63 cells. In summary, this study demonstrates miR-92a probably functions as a driver of tumor progression by targeting FBXW7, and highlights the potential effects of miR-92a on prognosis and treatment of OS.

Related: MicroRNAs FBXW7

BACKGROUND: Osteosarcoma is the most common bone tumor and is associated with a poor prognosis. Conventional therapies, surgery and chemotherapy, are still the standard but soon reach their limits. New therapeutic approaches are therefore needed. Conventional aqueous mistletoe extracts from the European mistletoe (Viscum album L.) are used in complementary cancer treatment. These commercial extracts are water-based and do not include water-insoluble compounds such as triterpenic acids. However, both hydrophilic and hydrophobic triterpenic acids possess anti-cancer properties. In this study, a whole mistletoe extract viscumTT re-created by combining an aqueous extract (viscum) and a triterpene extract (TT) was tested for its anti-cancer potential in osteosarcoma.
METHODS: Two osteosarcoma cell lines were treated with three different mistletoe extracts viscum, TT and viscumTT to compare their apoptotic potential. For this purpose, annexin/PI staining and caspase-3, -8 and -9 activity were investigated by flow cytometry. To determine the mechanism of action, alterations in expression of inhibitors of apoptosis (IAPs) were detected by western blot. Apoptosis induction by co-treatment of viscum, TT and viscumTT with doxorubicin, etoposide and ifosfamide was examined by flow cytometry.
RESULTS: In vitro as well as ex vivo, the whole mistletoe extract viscumTT led to strong inhibition of proliferation and synergistic apoptosis induction in osteosarcoma cells. In the investigations of mechanism of action, inhibitors of apoptosis such as XIAP, BIRC5 and CLSPN showed a clear down-regulation after viscumTT treatment. In addition, co-treatment with doxorubicin, etoposide and ifosfamide further enhanced apoptosis induction, also synergistically.
CONCLUSION: ViscumTT treatment results in synergistic apoptosis induction in osteosarcoma cells in vitro and ex vivo. Additionally, conventional standard chemotherapeutic drugs such as doxorubicin, etoposide and ifosfamide were able to dramatically enhance apoptosis induction. These results promise a high potential of viscumTT as an additional adjuvant therapy approach for osteosarcoma.

Related: Apoptosis Doxorubicin Etoposide BIRC5

BACKGROUND: Osteosarcoma (OS) mainly occurs in children and adolescents, and has a high propensity for lung metastasis. Little is known about the role of SDF-1/CXCR4 axis in OS progression. AMD3100 is a specific CXCR4 antagonist. Triptolide can induce apoptosis and proliferation inhibition in various cancer cell lines.
OBJECTIVE: This work aimed to investigate the effects of AMD3100 plus triptolide on the proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and metastasis of OS cells.
METHODS: The expression levels of SDF-1 and CXCR4 in five OS cell lines was analyzed by qRT-PCR, western blotting and ELISA assays. The effect of AMD3100 and triptolide on the proliferation, apoptosis and invasion of U2OS cells was evaluated by CCK-8, flow cytometry and transwell assay, respectively. Orthotopic intra-tibial growth and lung metastasis mouse model of OS were employed to evaluate the inhibition effect of AMD3100 and triptolide on primary OS growth and lung metastasis.
RESULTS: CXCR4 protein expression was detected in HOS-8603, MG-63, U2OS and 143B but not Saos2 cells, and all these cell lines expressed SDF-1. AMD3100 plus triptolide induced proliferation inhibition and apoptosis of U2OS cells, which was attributed to the downregulation of c-Myc, survivin, cyclin D1 and increased cleaved caspase-3 and PARP. AMD3100 and triptolide also suppressed SDF-1 induced invasion of CXCR4+ U2OS cells, which was validated by decreased expression of MMP-2 and 9, VEGF, m-Calpain and β-catenin. Moreover, the phosphorylation levels of Erk1/2, Akt and STAT3, as well as the nuclear translocation and phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 in U2OS cells were also reduced by AMD3100 and triptolide. In vivo, AMD3100 and triptolide significantly reduced primary tumor growth and lung metastasis of U2OS cells.
CONCLUSIONS: AMD3100 combined with triptolide can reduce proliferation and metastasis, and induce apoptosis of U2OS cells, which may be related to the Erk1/2, Akt, STAT3 and NF-κB pathways.

Related: Apoptosis Signal Transduction

MiR-195-5p has been shown to play an essential role in human cancer progression. Nevertheless, the biological role of miR-195-5p in osteosarcoma development remains unclear. In this study, real-time PCR was performed to examine the miR-195-5p expression in human osteosarcoma cell lines. CCK-8 assay and Transwell assay were carried out to measure the effect of miR-195-5p on cell proliferation and invasion. Luciferase reporter assay was used to identify the targets of miR-195-5p. The results showed that miR-195-5p was significantly downregulated in osteosarcoma cells. Forced expression of miR-195-5p significantly inhibited cell proliferation, suppressed cell migration and invasion, compared with wild-type and control-transfected osteosarcoma cells. Luciferase reporter assay revealed that miR-195-5p binds to the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of Naked cuticle homolog 1 (NKD1), indicating that NKD1 was a novel target of miR-195-5p. NKD1 mRNA and protein levels were reduced after overexpression of miR-195-5p. Moreover, silencing of NKD1 significantly inhibited the proliferation and invasion of osteosarcoma cells. Accordingly, our results support a tumor suppressor role of miR-195-5p in osteosarcoma through inhibiting NKD1, and it may be a promising therapeutic target for osteosarcoma.

Related: Bone Cancers MicroRNAs

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common malignant bone tumor and is prevalent in adolescents. In clinical studies, miR-210 has been reported to be tightly correlated to the poor prognosis of OS. Nevertheless, its roles in OS have not been fully elucidated. In view of the central role played by OS stem cells (OSCs) in the malignant progression of OS, this study investigated the influence of miR-210 on the formation of OSCs. Our previous findings suggested that the microenvironment of bone, abundant TGF-β1 and hypoxia, could induce OS cells to dedifferentiate into OSCs. In this study, we found that miR-210 participated in the dedifferentiation of OS cells into OSCs, and inhibiting it significantly suppressed the formation of OSCs. Further results suggested that miR-210 promoted the expression of TGF-β1 and its downstream effectors Snail1 and Slug which were highly elevated in the process of OS dedifferentiation. Additionally, the target gene of miR-210 was also investigated. It was found that NFIC was significantly reduced by miR-210 treatment and also during OS dedifferentiation. Therefore, this study suggested that miR-210 promoted OS cells dedifferentiation and uncovered its role in the malignant progress of OS.

Related: Bone Cancers MicroRNAs

BACKGROUND: A long noncoding RNA, p21-associated ncRNA DNA damage-activated (PANDA), associates with nuclear transcription factor Y subunit alpha (NF-YA) and inhibits its binding to promoters of apoptosis-related genes, thereby repressing apoptosis in normal human fibroblasts. Here, we show that PANDA is involved in regulating proliferation in the U2OS human osteosarcoma cell line.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: U2OS cells were transfected with siRNAs against PANDA 72 h later and they were subjected to reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), quantitative RT-PCR and cell-cycle analysis.
RESULTS: PANDA was highly expressed in U2OS cells, and its expression was induced by DNA damage. Silencing PANDA caused arrest at the G1 phase of the cell cycle, leading to inhibition of cell proliferation. Quantitative RT-PCR showed that silencing PANDA increased mRNA levels of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p18, which caused G1 phase arrest.
CONCLUSION: These results suggest that PANDA promotes G1-S transition by repressing p18 transcription, and thus promotes U2OS cell proliferation.

Related: Bone Cancers Signal Transduction CDKN2C

Osteosarcoma is a common malignant bone tumor that mainly affects children and adolescents. Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a member of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily. Caspase-8 appears in the upstream of apoptosis signaling pathway among caspases. We investigated TRAIL and caspase-8 levels in osteosarcoma patients to determine their correlation with cell proliferation and apoptosis. Osteosarcoma and osteochondroma patients receiving surgery in our hospital were selected. TRAIL and caspase-8 expression levels in tissue were determined by immunohistochemistry, and protein levels in cells were evaluated by western blotting. Human osteosarcoma cell viability was determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The osteosarcoma and osteochondroma cell cycles and apoptosis were investigated by flow cytometry. Correlation analysis was applied to TRAIL and caspase-8 levels during cell apoptosis. Positive TRAIL and caspase-8 expression rates in osteosarcoma tissue were significantly lower than in the controls (P < 0.05). TRAIL (0.114 ± 0.002) and caspase-8 (0.352 ± 0.124) levels in experimental cells were obviously lower than in the controls (P < 0.05). Osteosarcoma cells in the experimental group demonstrated higher proliferation and lower apoptosis at 24, 48, and 72 h (P < 0.05). The experimental cell number increased in the G1 stage and decreased in the S stage (P < 0.05). TRAIL and caspase-8 proteins showed positive correlation with apoptosis in osteosarcoma (P < 0.05). Human osteosarcoma presented reduced TRAIL and caspase-8 levels with enhanced cell proliferation and reduced apoptosis. TRAIL and caspase-8 expression levels were positively correlated with apoptosis in osteosarcoma.

Related: Apoptosis Bone Cancers TNFSF10

Growth hormone (GH) regulated mainly liver-produced insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is a key molecule in embryonic & post embryonic development that is also involved in cancer biology. Herein we review new insights of the role of igf-1 gene products and of the IGF-1Ec isoform in muscle and bone development/repair and its role in osteosarcoma pathophysiology, underlying the possible role of the Ec peptide as a future therapeutic target.

Related: Bone Cancers IGF1

Chronic inflammation has been associated to cancer development by the alteration of several inflammatory pathways, such as Nuclear Factor-κB pathway. In particular, IκB kinase α (IKKα), one of two catalytic subunit of IKK complex, has been described to be associated to cancer progression and metastasis in a number of cancers. The molecular mechanism by which IKKα affects cancer progression is not yet completely clarified, anyway an association between IKKα and the expression of Maspin (Mammary Serine Protease Inhibitor or SerpinB5), a tumor suppressor protein, has been described. IKKα shuttles between cytoplasm and nucleus, and when is localized into the nuclei, IKKα regulates the expression of several genes, among them Maspin gene, whose expression is repressed by high amount of nuclear IKKα. Considering that high levels of Maspin have been associated with reduced metastatic progression, it could be hypothesized that the repression of IKKα nuclear translocation could be associated with the repression of metastatic phenotype. The present study is aimed to explore the ability of a glucosamine derivative, 2-(N-Carbobenzyloxy)l-phenylalanylamido-2-deoxy-β-d-glucose (NCPA), synthesized in our laboratory, to stimulate the production of Maspin in an osteosarcoma cell line, 143B. Immunofluorescence and Western blotting experiments showed that NCPA is able to inhibit IKKα nuclear translocation, and to stimulate Maspin production. Moreover, in association with stimulation of Maspin production we found the decrease of β1 Integrin expression, the down-regulation of metalloproteases MMP-9 and MMP-13 production and cell migration inhibition. Taking in account that β1 Integrin and MMP-9 and -13 have been correlated with the invasiveness of osteosarcoma, considering that NCPA affects the invasiveness of 143B cell line, we suggest that this molecule could affect the osteosarcoma metastatic ability.

Related: Bone Cancers MMP9: matrix metallopeptidase 9 SERPINB5

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignant bone tumor in the pediatric age group, and chemotherapy directed by targeted nanoparticulate drug delivery system represents a promising approach for osteosarcoma treatment recently. Here, we designed and developed a novel DOX-loaded targeted polymeric micelle self-assembled from RGD-terminated poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly (trimethylene carbonate) (RGD-PEG-PTMC) amphiphilic biodegradable block copolymer, for high-efficiency targeted chemotherapy of osteosarcoma. Notably, the RGD-installed DOX-loaded biodegradable polymeric micelle (RGD-DOX-PM) with drug loading efficiency of 57%-73% displayed a narrow distribution (PDI=0.05-0.12) with average sizes ranging from 46 to 73nm depending on the DOX loading content. The release amount of DOX from RGD-DOX-PM achieved 63% within 60h under physiological condition. Interestingly, MTT assays in MG-63 and MNNG/HOS osteosarcoma cells exhibited that half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of RGD-DOX-PM was much lower than its non-targeted counterpart (DOX-PM), implying RGD decorated nanoparticles had enhanced cell targeting ability and led to more effective anti-tumor effect. Furthermore, the targeting ability of RGD-DOX-PM was confirmed by in vitro flow cytometry and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) imaging assays, where the results showed more RGD-DOX-PM were taken up by MG-63 cells than that of DOX-PM. Therefore, this RGD decorated DOX-loaded polymeric micelle is promising for targeted chemotherapy of osteosarcoma.

Related: Doxorubicin

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary bone tumor in children and adolescents. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a class of transcriptional products of the genome without protein-coding potential. Recently, lncRNA Ewing sarcoma-associated transcript 1 (EWSAT1) was functionally identified in Ewing sarcoma, a highly aggressive primary pediatric bone tumor. However, whether EWSAT1 plays a role in OS remains unclear. In the present study, gain- and loss-of-function assays demonstrated that EWSAT1 enhanced OS cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Further mechanistic studies found that EWSAT1 positively regulated lncRNA MEG3 expression in the transcriptional level. Finally, we observed that EWSAT1 facilitates OS cell growth and metastasis through regulation of MEG3, suggesting that EWSAT1-MEG3 axis might be a promising target for OS treatment.

Related: Apoptosis Bone Cancers Signal Transduction

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Osteosarcoma is a devastating tumor of bone, primarily affecting adolescents. Parthenolide, a naturally occurring small molecule that interferes with NF-κB signaling, has recently attracted considerable attention because of its pharmacological action involving anti-cancer effects. However, the mechanism of the cytotoxic effect exerted by parthenolide on tumor cells is not clearly defined today.
METHODS: In this study, the effects of parthenolide were evaluated and characterized in human osteosarcoma cancer cell. Cell viability was assessed by CCK-8. Apoptosis was assessed by Annexin V-FITC/PI Flow cytometry assay. Relative quantitative real-time PCR and western blot were used to determine the expressions of genes and proteins.
RESULTS: Our results suggest that parthenolide did not cause caspase-dependent cell death in osteosarcoma cancer cells, as indicated by the absence of significant early apoptosis as well as caspase-3 cleavage. Instead, parthenolide increased the autophagy and mitophagy, as characterized by increased PINK1 and Parkin translocation to mitochondria and enhanced autophagy proteins. The induction of autophagy by parthenolide was associated with the increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS antioxidants N-acetylcysteine (NAC) attenuated parthenolide-induced autophagy activity.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings unveil a novel mechanism of drug action by parthenolide in osteosarcoma cancer cells and suggest a potential value of treating osteosarcoma cancer through a caspase-independent autophagic cell death by ROS activation.

Related: CASP3

Osteosarcomas are primary tumors of bone that most often develop in adolescents. They are characterized by complex genomic changes including amplifications, deletions, and translocations. The chromosome region 17p11.2p12 is frequently amplified in human high grade osteosarcomas (25% of cases), suggesting the presence of one or more oncogenes. In previous studies, we identified 9 candidate oncogenes in this region (GID4, ARGHAP44, LRRC75A-AS1, TOP3A, COPS3, SHMT1, PRPSAP2, PMP22, and RASD1). The aim of the present study was to determine their oncogenic properties. Therefore, we generated osteosarcoma cell lines overexpressing these genes, except for LRRC75A-AS1 and PRPSAP2, and subjected these to functional oncogenic assays. We found that TOP3A, SHMT1, and RASD1 overexpression provided increased proliferation and that ARGHAP44, COPS3, and PMP22 overexpression had a stimulatory effect on migration and invasion of the cells. COPS3 and PMP22 overexpression additionally improved the ability of the cells to form new colonies. No oncogenic effect could be demonstrated for GID4 overexpression. We conclude that the concerted amplification-mediated overexpression of these genes in 17p11.2p12 may contribute to the oncogenic process in malignant osteosarcoma.

Related: Chromosome 17 TOP1 PMP22

AIM: to analyze the outcome and survival rate of osteosarcoma patients in our hospital as well as the factors affecting prognosis and functional outcome.
METHODS: this is a retrospective cohort study of osteosarcoma patients in Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital underwent limb salvage surgery (LSS), amputation, LSS + amputation, and refused surgery from year 1995 to 2014. The surgical decision was based on patient's age, staging, location, neurovascular involvement, Huvos type, functional demand, patient preference, and general condition. Functional outcome was assessed using the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) score with the maximum score of 30.
RESULTS: subjects consisted of 80 male and 52 female aged 4 to 61 year-old. They underwent limb salvage surgery (LSS) (n=37), amputation (n=42), LSS + amputation (n=2), and refused surgery (n=51). Overall 5-year cumulative survival rate was 14.6%. The 5-year survival rate for each group; LSS, amputation, combined LSS and amputation, and refused surgery was 34.8%; 15.9%; 0%; and 0%, respectively. Patients with tumor size <8 cm tend to underwent LSS compared to amputations (60.7% vs 39.3%, p=0.046). Local recurrence-free survival for LSS and amputation was 96.2% and 86.5% respectively (p=0.586). MSTS score was higher in LSS than amputation group (25.0 vs 18.5, p=0.011).
CONCLUSION: LSS had higher survival rate than amputation in osteosarcoma patients who were treated in Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital. MSTS functional score in the LSS group was higher than amputation group.

Related: Bone Cancers

PURPOSE: There are conflicting findings about the effect of resection margins on local recurrence in osteosarcoma after surgery. In this meta-analysis, we examined the association between local recurrence and resection margins for osteosarcoma in extremity and pelvis.
METHODS: EMBASE, PubMed and Cochrane CENTRAL were searched from January 1980 to July 2016. The quality of included studies was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. The odds ratio and 95% confidence interval of local recurrence were estimated, respectively, for inadequate vs adequate margins and marginal vs wide margins using a random-effect model. Chi-square test was performed to comparing the local recurrence rate between extremity and pelvic osteosarcomas with an identical surgical margin.
RESULTS: Thirteen articles involving 1559 patients (175 with and 1384 without local recurrence) were included in this study. The meta-analysis showed that the osteosarcoma resected with inadequate and marginal margins, whether in extremity or in pelvis, were associated with a significantly higher local recurrence rate than the osteosarcoma resected with adequate and wide margins, respectively. Chi-square test showed that, when pelvic and extremity osteosarcomas were removed with an identical resection margin, the local recurrence was significantly more frequent in pelvis osteosarcoma than in extremity osteosarcoma.
CONCLUSION: This study provides level IIa evidence to support that the surgery with adequate or wide resection margin has positive effect on reducing the risk of local recurrence in osteosarcoma. In addition, the factors independent of resection margin are more likely to increase the risk of local recurrence in pelvic osteosarcoma.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IIa, Therapeutic study.

Related: Bone Cancers

PURPOSE: Cooperative studies support complete metastasectomy in osteosarcoma (OS). Pre-operative CT is used to identify and quantify metastases and can facilitate minimally invasive techniques. Here we assess the accuracy of pre-operative CT compared to findings at thoracotomy and its change over time.
METHODS: We reviewed OS thoracotomies performed at our institution from 1996 to 2015. The number of metastases identified on pre-operative chest CT was compared to the number of metastases seen on pathology (both metastases with viable cells and non-viable, osteoid-only metastases).
RESULTS: Eighty-eight patients underwent 161 thoracotomies with a median of 14days (range, 1-85) between CT and surgery, a median of 2 CT-identified lesions (range, 0-15), and a median of 4 resected lesions (range, 1-25). In 56 (34.8%) cases, more metastases were found surgically than were seen on CT, and among these, 34 (21.1%) had a greater number of viable metastases. There was poor overall correlation between CT and pathology findings (Kendall Tau-b=0.506), regardless of CT slice thickness, decade of thoracotomy, or total number of CT-identified lesions.
CONCLUSIONS: CT accuracy in pre-operatively quantifying OS pulmonary metastases has not improved in recent decades. Consequently, we recommend an open technique with direct lung palpation for complete identification and resection of OS pulmonary metastases.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, retrospective study with no comparison group.

Related: Bone Cancers

BACKGROUND: In a previous study, we found that melatonin inhibits MG-63 osteosarcoma cell proliferation; however, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and Akt signaling pathways play key roles in the anticancer effects of melatonin.
AIMS: The present study investigated whether MAPK and Akt signaling pathways are involved in melatonin's antiproliferative actions on the human MG-63 osteosarcoma cells.
METHODS/RESULTS: Western blot analysis confirmed that melatonin significantly inhibited phosphorylation of ERK1/2 but not p38, JNK, or Akt. The expression of ERK1/2, p38, JNK, and Akt was not altered by melatonin. PD98059 and melatonin alone, and especially in combination, significantly inhibited cell proliferation. The changes included G1 and G2/M phase arrest of the cell cycle, and a downregulation of the expression at both the protein and mRNA levels of cyclin D1 and CDK4 (related to the G1 phase) and of cyclin B1 and CDK1 (related to the G2/M phase) as measured by flow cytometry after propidium iodide staining, and both western blot and real-time PCR, respectively. Furthermore, the combination of PD98059 and melatonin synergistically and markedly augmented the action of either agent alone. Co-immunoprecipitation further confirmed that there was an interaction between p-ERK1/2 and cyclin D1, CDK4, cyclin B1, or CDK1, which was blunted in the presence of melatonin or PD98059.
CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that melatonin's antiproliferative action is mediated by inhibition of the ERK1/2 signaling pathway rather than the p38, JNK, or Akt pathways.

Related: AKT1 BCL1 Gene (CCND1)

To explore a novel combination of chemotherapy, gene therapy, and thermotherapy for osteosarcoma, a targeted heat-sensitive co-delivery system based on bacterial magnetosomes (BMs) was developed. The optimal culture conditions of magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) AMB-1 and characterization of BMs were achieved. A recombinant eukaryotic plasmid heat shock protein 70-polo-like kinase 1-short hairpin RNA (pHSP70-Plk1-shRNA) under transcriptional control of a thermosensitive promoter (human HSP70 promoter) was constructed for gene therapy. Doxorubicin (DOX) and pHSP70-Plk1-shRNA were included in the targeted thermosensitive co-delivery system, and in vitro DOX release activity, targeted gene silencing efficiency and in vitro antitumor efficacy were investigated. The results showed that the optimal culture conditions of MTB AMB-1 are an oxygen concentration of 4.0%, a pH value of 7.0, 20 μmol/L of ferrous sulfate, 800 mg/L of sodium nitrate, and 200 mg/L of succinic acid. The temperature of BMs reached 43°C within 3 minutes and could be maintained for 30 minutes by adjusting the magnitude of the alternating magnetic field (AMF). The diameters of BMs, BM-DOX, BM-recombinant eukaryotic plasmid pHSP70-Plk1-shRNA (shPlk1), and BM-DOX-shPlk1 were 43.7±4.6, 79.2±5.4, 88.9±7.8, and 133.5±11.4 nm, respectively. The zeta potentials of BMs, BM-DOX, BM-shPlk1, and BM-DOX-shPlk1 were -29.4±6.9, -9.5±5.6, -16.7±4.8, and -10.3±3.1 mV, respectively. Besides, the system exhibited good release behavior. DOX release rate from BM-DOX-shPlk1 was 54% after incubation with phosphate-buffered saline at 43°C and 37% after incubation with 50% fetal bovine serum, which was significantly higher than that at 37°C (P<0.05). In addition, the expressions of Plk1 mRNA and protein were significantly suppressed in cells treated with BM-DOX-shPlk1 following hyperthermia treatment under the influence of an AMF compared to other groups (P<0.05). Furthermore, evaluation of the effect of in vitro antitumor revealed that BM-DOX-shPlk1 following hyperthermia treatment under the influence of an AMF was significantly more effective than others in tumor inhibition. In conclusion, the new heat-sensitive co-delivery system represents a promising approach for the treatment of cancer.

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The metaphyseal locations of tubular bones with osteoid mineralization in young patients are important diagnostic radiologic features of osteosarcoma. The pelvic bones are an unusual location of osteosarcoma. Although osteosarcoma occurring in pelvic bones is not common, the osteoid matrix may be a critical finding for differentiating osteosarcoma from other common pelvic bone tumors. Therefore, the possibility of osteosarcoma in pelvic bones may be considered in the presence of osteoid matrix even in the old age group.

Related: Bone Cancers

Osteosarcoma is an aggressive bone cancer arising from primitive transformed cells of mesenchymal origin to form malignant osteoid. Phyllanthus urinaria [Formula: see text]P. urinaria[Formula: see text] is a widely used folk medicine in cancer treatment, however the mechanism of P. urinaria inhibited human osteosarcoma is unclear. The present study was aimed at investigating the antitumoral effects of an aqueous P. urinaria on human osteosarcoma in vivo and the related underlying mechanisms, mainly focusing on mitochondrial dynamic dysfunction. Our results showed that oral administration of P. urinaria to mice led to significant inhibition of tumor development without substantial changes to body weight or major organs. Histological examinations with H&E, Giemsa, and Masson trichrome stains confirmed inhibition of tumor growth by the P. urinaria treatment. Immunohistochemical staining of proliferation markers antigen KI-67 (Ki67) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), as well as a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay demonstrated a decrease of tumor proliferation and an increase of apoptosis, which was associated with the modulation of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family activating the caspase cascade in the P. urinaria-treated mice. The neovascularization marker cluster of differentiation 31 (CD31) was inhibited in P. urinaria-treated xenografts, implicating the potential anti-angiogenic effect of P. urinaria. P. urinaria treatment resulted in a significant decrease in the mitochondrial fusion proteins, including mitofusin 1/2 (Mfn1/2) and optic atrophy type 1 (Opa1), as well as an increase in the fission protein dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1). The results of this study suggest mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with dynamic change that is involved in the apoptosis and anti-angiogenesis elicited by P. urinaria.

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BACKGROUND/AIM: Cold atmospheric plasma has been shown to inhibit tumor cell growth and induce tumor cell death. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of cold atmospheric plasma treatment on proliferation of human osteosarcoma cells and to characterize the underlying cellular mechanisms.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human osteosarcoma cells (U2-OS and MNNG/HOS) were treated with cold atmospheric plasma and seeded in culture plates. Cell proliferation, p53 and phospho-p53 protein expression and nuclear morphology were assessed.
RESULTS: The treated human osteosarcoma cell lines exhibited attenuated proliferation rates by up to 66%. The cells revealed an induction of p53, as well as phospho-p53 expression, by 2.3-fold and 4.5-fold, respectively, compared to controls. 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining demonstrated apoptotic nuclear condensation following cold atmospheric plasma treatment.
CONCLUSION: Cold atmospheric plasma treatment significantly attenuated cell proliferation in a preclinical in vitro osteosarcoma model. The resulting increase in p53 expression and phospho-activation in combination with characteristic nuclear changes indicate this was through induction of apoptosis.

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Many natural flavonoids have cytostatic and apoptotic properties; however, we little know whether the effect of synthetic 3-hydroxyflavone on metastasis and tumor growth of human osteosarcoma. Here, we tested the hypothesis that 3-hydroxyflavone suppresses human osteosarcoma cells metastasis and tumor growth. 3-hydroxyflavone, up to 50 μM without cytotoxicity, inhibited U2OS and 143B cells motility, invasiveness and migration by reducing matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) and also impaired cell adhesion to gelatin. 3-hydroxyflavone significantly reduced p-focal adhesion kinase (FAK) Tyr397, p-FAK Tyr925, p-steroid receptor coactivator (Src), p-mitogen/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MEK)1/2, p-myosin light chain (MLC)2 Ser19, epithelial cell adhesion molecule, Ras homolog gene family (Rho)A and fibronectin expressions. 3-hydroxyflavone also affected the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by down-regulating expressions of Vimentin and α-catenin with activation of the transcription factor Slug. In nude mice xenograft model and tail vein injection model showed that 3-hydroxyflavone reduced 143B tumor growth and lung metastasis. 3-hydroxyflavone possesses the anti-metastatic activity of U2OS and 143B cells by affecting EMT and repressing u-PA/MMP-2 via FAK-Src to MEK/ERK and RhoA/MLC2 pathways and suppresses 143B tumor growth in vivo. This may lead to clinical trials of osteosarcoma chemotherapy to confirm the promising result in the future.

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Ezrin is a protein that functions as a cross-linker between actin cytoskeleton and plasma membrane. Its clinical role in osteosarcoma is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate, in osteosarcoma, the prognostic value of ezrin expression at biopsy and changes in expression levels after preoperative chemotherapy. Thirty-eight newly diagnosed osteosarcoma patients aged 6-23 years were included. At diagnosis, 20 patients had localized disease, the others had distant metastases. Median follow-up was 75 months (range 13-135). Ezrin expression was assessed immunohistochemically in biopsy tissue and primary tumour specimens resected after chemotherapy. The influence on survival of changes in ezrin expression after chemotherapy was analysed. Ezrin expression was significantly higher after preoperative chemotherapy and changes compared to biopsy tissue were significantly lower in patients with early progression than in patients with relapse or no further evidence of disease (p = 0.006 and p = 0.002, respectively). Similarly, ezrin expression was higher after preoperative chemotherapy and exhibited less change in expression in deceased patients compared to patients surviving more than 5 years (both p = 0.001). Ezrin expression at biopsy was significantly associated with both histopathological aggressiveness (p < 0.001) and tumour size (p = 0.037). The results of this study provide evidence that changes in overexpression of ezrin due to preoperative chemotherapy could be a useful predictive and prognostic marker in patients with osteosarcoma.

Related: Bone Cancers

microRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs and have been shown to play a crucial role in the osteosarcoma (OS) tumorigenesis and progression. VEGFA is a key regulator of angiogenesis and plays an important role in regulation of tumor metastasis. The objective of this study was to determine whether VEGFA was involved in miR-1-mediated suppression of proliferation, migration, and invasion of OS cells. The expression levels of miR-1 were significantly lower in OS tumor tissues than those in adjacent normal tissues and in SAOS-2 and U2OS cell lines compared to a normal osteoblast (NHOst) cell line. VEGFA was upregulated in OS tumor tissues and SAOS-2 and U2OS cell lines. The results of CCK-8 assay and transwell assay showed that miR-1 acted as a tumor suppressor by inhibiting cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in U2OS cells. Dual luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that VEGFA was a direct and functional target gene of miR-1. miR-1 directly inhibits the protein expression of VEGFA via its 3'-UTR. Knockdown of VEGFA by siRNA inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion of U2OS cells. Our study suggested the potential inhibitory function of miR-1 in OS cell proliferation, migration, and invasion via inhibiting VEGFA.

Related: Apoptosis Bone Cancers MicroRNAs VEGFA

In this study, gambogic acid (GA) and retinoic acid chlorochalcone (RACC) co-loaded glycol chitosan nanoparticle was successfully developed and studied for its therapeutic efficacy against osteosarcoma cancer cells. The GA/RACC loaded glycol chitosan nanoparticles (RGNP) was nanosized and exhibited a controlled release of drug in either pH 7.4 and pH 5.0. Owing to the strong positive charge on the RGNP surface, efficiency cellular uptake was observed in cancer cells. Moreover, a synergistic combination of GA and RACC were effectively suppressed the tumor growth progression. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values in MG63 cells were 0.89μg/ml and 0.35μg/ml for GA and RGNP after 24h. The results clearly suggest the synergist effect of GA and RACC in effectively inhibiting the cancer cell proliferation. The RGNP as expected induced a remarkably higher apoptosis of cancer cells with ∼28%. Overall, combination of GA and RACC encapsulated in a nanocarrier could be an effective strategy to treat osteosarcoma. Future studies will focus on the in vivo evaluation of GA/RACC-loaded polymeric nanoparticles.

Related: Apoptosis

OBJECTIVE: Osteosarcoma is a common malignancy with high rate of metastasis. miR-10b has been reported to be expressed in many types of tumors abnormally and be associated with cancer carcinogenesis and progression. But the function of miR-10b in osteosarcoma is still unknown. So this study was aimed to investigate the role of miR-10b in osteosarcoma development.
METHODS: miR-10b expression in osteosarcoma tissues and osteosarcoma cells were detected using real time PCR. The effects of miR-10b on osteosarcoma cells proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion were detected using CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry, wound-healing assay and transwell assay, respectively. The relationship between miR-10b and KLF4 was evaluated using dual-luciferase assay, correlation analysis.
RESULTS: miR-10b was highly expressed in osteosarcoma tissues and osteosarcoma cells. Furthermore, inhibition of miR-10b in osteosarcoma cells depressed the cells proliferation, migration and invasion but promoted cells apoptosis. In addition, KLF4 was down-regulated by miR-10b and miR-10b expression was negatively related to KLF4 expression in osteosarcoma tissue, miR-10b participated in the process of osteosarcoma cells invasion by regulating KLF4 expression.
CONCLUSION: miR-10b is overexpressed in osteosarcoma and KLF4 is the direct target gene of miR-10b. Furthermore, miR-10b promotes osteosarcoma cells progression by downregulating KLF4 expression. These results suggest that miR-10b functions as an oncomiR and play an important role in osteosarcoma cellular processes at least partially through regulating KLF4; miR-10b may be a therapeutic target for osteosarcoma treatment.

Related: Apoptosis MicroRNAs

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