Annals of Oncology 21 (Supplement 5): v204–v213, 2010
doi:10.1093/annonc/mdq223clinical practice guidelines
Bone sarcomas: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for
diagnosis, treatment and follow-up
P. C. W. Hogendoorn
On behalf of the ESMO/EUROBONET Working Group*
Department of Pathology, University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands and
Writing committee: N. Athanasou1, S. Bielack2, E. De Alava3, A. P. Dei Tos4, S. Ferrari5,
H. Gelderblom6, R. Grimer7, K. Sundby Hall8, B. Hassan9, P. C. W. Hogendoorn1, H. Jurgens11,
M. Paulussen12, L. Rozeman13, A.H.M. Taminiau14, J. Whelan15 D. Vanel16
1University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; 2Olgahospital, Stuttgart, Germany; 3Campus MigueldeUnamuno, Salamanca, Spain; 4Ospedale Civile, Treviso, Italy; 5Istituti Ortopedici
Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy; 6University Medical Centre, Leiden, Netherlands; 7Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham, United Kingdom; 8Norwegian Radium Hospital,
Oslo, Norway; 9Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Oxford, UK; 10University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands; 11Universita¨tsklinikum, Mu¨nster, Germany;
12University Children’s Hospital Basel, Switzerland; 13University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands; 14University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands; 15University
College Hospital, London, UK and 16Istituti Ortopedici Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy
introduction
Primary bone tumours are rare, accounting for <0.2% of
malignant tumours registered at the EUROCARE database.
They have a relatively high incidence in children and
adolescents, but are still numerically outnumbered by benign
bone tumours, which clinically may have a similar
presentation. They are also frequently difficult to recognize as
malignant by clinicians, radiologists as well as pathologists and
this leads to major diagnostic difficulties in non-specialized
centres. One of the main recommendations of this guideline is
that all patients with a suspected primary malignant bone
tumour should be referred to a bone sarcoma reference centre
or an institution belonging to a specialized bone sarcoma
network before biopsy.
Primary bone tumours are considerably outnumbered by
metastases to the bone in older patients, which in some
instances might mimic the presentation of a primary bone
tumour. The presence of non-mechanical pain or night pain
around the knee of a person in this or indeed any age
group should cause concern and lead to further immediate
investigation. Swelling will only be present if the tumour
has progressed through the cortex and distended the periosteum.
background
A general overview of the histological types of primary
malignant bone tumour according to the World Health
Organization (WHO) classification is given in Table 1. Several
staging systems for bone tumours are in use; however, none of
them are perfect or generally accepted.
osteosarcoma
Osteosarcoma is the most frequent primary cancer of bone
(incidence: 0.2–0.03/100 000/year). The incidence is higher in
adolescents (0.8–1.1/100 000/year at age 15–19), where it
accounts for >10% of all solid cancers. The male–female ratio is
1.4:1. Osteosarcoma usually arises in the metaphysis of a long
bone, most commonly around the knee. Involvement of the
axial skeleton and craniofacial bones is primarily observed in
adults. Conventional osteosarcoma, a high-grade malignancy,
accounts for 80%–90% of all osteosarcomas. Its most frequent
subtypes are osteoblastic, chondroblastic and fibroblastic.
Other high-grade types are telangiectatic, small cell and high-
grade surface osteosarcoma. Low-grade central and parosteal
osteosarcoma are low-grade malignancies, while periosteal
osteosarcoma is an intermediate-grade chondroblastic
osteosarcoma. Risk factors for the occurrence of osteosarcoma
include previous radiation therapy, Paget’s disease of bone and
germ line abnormalities such as the Li–Fraumeni syndrome,
Werner syndrome, Rothmund–Thomson syndrome, Bloom
syndrome and hereditary retinoblastoma.
*Correspondence to: ESMO Guidelines Working Group, ESMO Head Office, Via
L. Taddei 4, CH-6962 Viganello-Lugano, Switzerland;
E-mail: clinicalrecommendations@esmo.org
Approved by the ESMO Guidelines Working Group: March 2010.
Prof. Paulussen’s affiliation will change as of July 2010 to: Vestische Kinder- und
Jugendklinik Datteln, University of Witten/Herdecke, Germany.
Conflict of interest: Dr Athanasou has reported no conflicts of interest; Prof. Bielack has
reported that he is a consultant for IDM, Roche and Takeda Millenium and that he is
on the advisory board for Merck; Prof. De Alava has reported no conflicts of interest;
Dr Dei Tos has reported no conflicts of interest; Dr Ferrari has reported that he is
a consultant for Takeda and that he is conducting research sponsored by Pfizer, Roche
and Amgen; Dr Gelderblom has reported no conflicts of interest; Dr Grimer has reported
no conflicts of interest; Dr Hall has reported no conflicts of interest; Prof. Hassan has
reported that at present he has no conflicts of interest, but he is planning trials with
Takeda and Pharmamar; Prof. Hogendoorn has reported no conflicts of interest; Prof.
Jurgens has reported no conflicts of interest; Prof. Paulussen has reported no conflicts
of interest; Dr Rozeman has reported no conflicts of interest; Prof. Taminiau has
reported no conflicts of interest; Dr Whelan has reported no conflicts of interest; Dr Vanel
has reported no conflicts of interest.
ª The Author 2010. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology.
All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
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Ewing sarcoma
Ewing sarcoma (ES) (including primitive neuroectodermal
tumour of bone) is the second most common primary malignant
bone cancer. It occurs most frequently in children and
adolescents, but is also seen in adults. The median age at diagnosis
is 15 years and there is a male predilection of 1.5/1. ES is
diagnosed in white Caucasians under the age of 25 at an incidence
of 0.3/100 000 per year, but it is very uncommon in the African
and Asian population. About 25% of patients have ES of the
pelvic bones, while 50% have extremity tumours. Also the ribs
and vertebral column are frequently affected. ES may involve any
bone and (less commonly in children) arise purely in soft tissues
chondrosarcoma
Chondrosarcoma is one of the most frequently occurring bone
sarcomas of adulthood. The incidence is �0.1/100 000 per year,
with the most common age being between 30 and 60 years and
the male–female ratio is �1. Most chondrosarcomas arise as
primary malignant tumours, and the majority are low grade
(grade I) rather than high-grade (grade II–III). Most
chondrosarcomas arise centrally in the diametaphyseal region
of long bones, but they can also develop in flat bones such as
pelvis, rib and scapula. High-grade chondrosarcoma frequently
arises in the axial skeleton and long bones. Chondrosarcomas
can arise in pre-existing benign lesions such as enchondroma
and osteochondroma. In these circumstances they are referred
to as secondary chondrosarcomas and secondary peripheral
chondrosarcomas, respectively. The majority of
chondrosarcomas are of the conventional subtype, but rarer
subtypes include mesenchymal and clear cell chondrosarcoma.
In rare circumstances conventional chondrosarcomas can
‘dedifferentiate’ into a very high-grade tumour with a dismal
prognosis, so-called dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma. Most
chondrosarcomas are solitary, but they can occur as multiple
lesions in patients with multiple osteochondromas and
enchondromatosis.
spindle cell sarcomas of bone
Spindle cell sarcomas of bone (e.g. malignant fibrous
histiocytoma/fibrosarcoma of bone) comprise a diagnostically
heterogeneous group of malignant tumours including
fibrosarcoma (FS), malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH),
leiomyosarcoma and undifferentiated sarcoma. They arise in
a similar age group to chondrosarcoma but the skeletal
distribution is more like osteosarcoma. They typically present
with pain and have a high incidence of fracture at presentation.
They represent between 2% and 5% of primary bone
malignancies. The true incidence is hard to establish as the two
entities (MFH/FS) exhibit a significant degree of morphological
overlap, also reflected by an inconsistent use of terminology.
Males are more frequently affected than females. An association
with pre-existing disease (Paget’s disease or bone infarct) or
history of previous irradiation has been reported. It is not
unusual for a spindle cell sarcoma to be found to be either
a dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma or osteosarcoma after
examining different sections of the resection.
other bone sarcomas
These include such entities as adamantinoma and chordoma,
malignancy in giant cell tumour, angiosarcoma and liposarcoma,
that have specific clinical presentations and management.
clinical presentation
The medical history should focus on symptoms such as duration,
intensity and timing of complaints, for example night pain or
fracture. Moreover, specific events for bone tumours include
prior benign/malignant lesions, family history and previous
radiotherapy. A recent injury does not rule out a malignant
tumour and must not prevent appropriate diagnostic
procedures. All patients should have a full physical examination.
Specific attention should be given to the size, consistency of the
swelling, its location and mobility, the relation of swelling to the
involved bone and the presence of regional/local lymph nodes.
imaging
The likely diagnosis of a suspected bone tumour is related to
age. Before 5 years of age, a destructive bone lesion is most
Table 1. 2002 WHO classification of malignant bone tumours
Osteogenic tumours Osteosarcoma 9180/3
Conventional 9180/3
Chondroblastic 9181/3
Fibroblastic 9182/3
Osteoblastic 9180/3
Telangiectatic 9183/3
Small cell 9185/3
Low-grade central 9187/3
Secondary 9180/3
Parosteal 9192/3
Periosteal 9193/3
High-grade surface 9194/3
Ewing sarcoma/primitive
neuroectodermal tumour
Ewing sarcoma 9260/3
Cartilage Chondrosarcoma 9220/3
Central, primary, and
secondary
9220/3
Peripheral 9221/3
Dedifferentiated 9243/3
Mesenchymal 9240/3
Clear cell 9242/3
Fibrogenic tumours Fibrosarcoma 8810/3
Fibrohistiocytic tumours Malignant fibrous
histiocytoma
8830/3
Haematopoietic tumours Plasma cell myeloma 9732/3
Malignant lymphoma, NOS 9590/3
Giant cell tumour Malignancy in giant cell
tumour
9250/3
Notochordal tumours Chordoma 9370/3
Vascular tumours Angiosarcoma 9120/3
Smooth muscle tumours Leiomyosarcoma 8890/3
Lipogenic tumours Liposarcoma 8850/3
Miscellaneous tumours Adamantinoma 9261/3
Although listed by the WHO as bone tumours, plasma cell myeloma, as well
as primary malignant lymphoma of bone are not dealt with by these
guidelines.
Annals of Oncology clinical practice guidelines
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commonly metastatic neuroblastoma or eosinophilic
granuloma; >5 years, it is often a primary bone sarcoma; >40
years of age, it tends to be metastasis or myeloma.
diagnosis and local staging
Conventional radiographs in two planes should always be the
first investigation. CT should only be used in the case of
a diagnostic problem or doubt, to visualize more clearly
calcification, periosteal bone formation, cortical destruction or
soft tissue involvement. When the diagnosis of malignancy
cannot be excluded with certainty on radiographs, the next
imaging step is MRI of the whole bone with adjacent joints,
which is the best modality for local staging.
General staging should be carried out to assess the extent of
distant disease including bone scintigraphy and chest
radiographs and CT; small nodules are not specific for
malignancy. Whole body MRI and PET are under evaluation
for both staging and treatment response evaluation. Additional
appropriate imaging studies and biopsies should be taken from
suspicious sites, as the exact staging of the disease has an impact
on treatment and outcome [III, B].
In the case of chondrosarcoma contrast-enhanced MRI can
reveal high-grade areas: this provides a useful guide to the
site of biopsy.
biopsy
The biopsy of a suspected primary malignant bone tumour
should be carried out at the reference centre, by the surgeon
who is to carry out the definitive tumour resection,
a radiologist, or a member of the team. The principles of the
biopsy are:
� there should be minimal contamination of normal tissues;
� in many situations core needle biopsy will be more than
adequate, often controlled by ultrasound, X-ray or CT;
� samples should preferably be taken for microbiological
culture as well as histology;
� in the tumour centre samples should be snap-frozen for
future studies;
� samples must be interpreted by an experienced pathologist;
� the request form should contain sufficient detail for the
pathologist including the site of the tumour, the patient’s age
and the radiological differential diagnosis.
It is advised in the case of tumours and tumour-simulating lesions
of the skeleton, to determine the staging of the lesion before the
biopsy. An important advantage of staging studies obtained before
the biopsy is the possibility of choosing the location of the biopsy,
taking into account possible future surgery, especially when it
concerns limb salvage surgery. Imaging studies can also indicate
the most representative part of the lesion. Core needle biopsy
(multiple) (for example Jamshidi, but not fine-needle
aspiration) or open biopsy (depending on the location of the
lesion and local expertise, difficult cases) is preferred. An
excision biopsy is contraindicated for all cases that present the
possibility of an aggressive–benign or malignant lesion,
because an excision without oncologically adequate margins
will contaminate more tissue compartments than necessary. If
an open biopsy is done, it should be performed using
a longitudinal incision. To be sure that the biopsy location is
adequate and the tissue is representative for the resulting
process, it is recommended that X-rays be taken of the biopsy
location and the pathologist consulted directly (by frozen
section) after taking the biopsy in case more material is
required. In aggressive and malignant tumours of bone, the
biopsy tract should be considered to be contaminated with
tumour and must be removed together with the resection
specimen to avoid local recurrences, including the possible
channels through which drains have been placed. Biopsy tracts
should be clearly marked by means of a small incision or ink
tattoo to ensure that the location can be recognized at the
definitive procedure.
In cases of spinal column involvement, laminectomy or
decompression should be avoided unless necessary to relieve
spinal cord compression.
general comment on tumour handling. Material should be
quickly, ideally within half an hour, submitted for pathological
assessment; upon arrival, and before formalin fixation, tumour
imprints (touch preps) can be taken (useful for tumour-specific
translocation by FISH), and tissue/cell suspensions should be
kept frozen in cryomoulds. A further option is to establish
primary cell cultures for cytogenetics. Tumour banks are useful
for diagnosis and translational research into the molecular
pathology of cancer; therefore informed consent for tumour
banking should be sought that allows for later analysis and
research according to local practice.
reporting pathology
The nature of the bone specimen received for pathology
reporting should be recorded, i.e. needle biopsy, curettage,
excision (e.g. segmental resection, limb salvage amputation or
other complex resection, such as a hemipelvectomy). It is usually
necessary to decalcify a bone tumour biopsy. The pathologist
should receive information regarding the clinical/radiological
context in which the tumour has arisen, relevant observations
made at the time of surgery and whether the patient has received
preoperative chemotherapy. The size (measured in three
dimensions inmm) of the tumour in the resected bone should be
noted. The histological features of the tumour should be
described and the tumour type (and subtype) specified according
to the latest WHO criteria. The extent of tumour necrosis in
response to preoperative therapy should be assessed as being
more or less than 90%necrosis. The pathology report should note
the extent of local tumour spread, including involvement of
specific anatomical compartments. Whether the resection
margins are clear or involved by tumour should be noted and the
distance (in mm) of tumour from the nearest resection margin
measured. The results of relevant ancillary investigations (e.g.
immunohistochemistry) should be recorded. The tumour should
be classified using SNOMED or ICD-0 codes.
staging and risk assessment
Ideally all cases of suspected bone tumour should be discussed
at a multidisciplinary team meeting that includes the
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radiologist who has interpreted the imaging and the pathologist
who has reviewed the biopsy material and the surgeon and
oncologist undertaking treatment. This will minimize the risk
of errors in diagnosis, staging, risk assessment and treatment.
laboratory tests
No specific laboratory tests for the diagnosis of bone sarcoma
are available. However, some are useful in the follow-up in
Ewing sarcoma and osteosarcoma and may also be of
prognostic value, such as alkaline phosphatase (AP) and lactate
dehydrogenase (LDH).
osteosarcoma. Staging: 75% of all osteosarcomas arise around
the knee. Typically there is pain, which begins insidiously and
gradually becomes constant; pain may be present at night and is
often non-mechanical in nature. Localized swelling and
limitation of joint movement are later findings.
Risk assessment: adverse prognostic or predictive factors
include detectable primary metastases, poor histological
response to preoperative chemotherapy, axial or proximal
extremity tumour site, large tumour volume, elevated serum
AP or LDH, and older age [III, B]. Staging should include local
imaging studies, as outlined below.
Ewing sarcoma. Staging and molecular pathology: ES is a small
blue round-cell tumour, PAS+ and CD99 (MIC2) positive. All
ESs are high-grade tumours. The definitive diagnosis is made
by biopsy, providing sufficient material for conventional
histology, immunohistochemistry, molecular pathology and
biobanking (fresh, unfixed material). Molecular biology studies
have shown that all these tumours share a common gene
rearrangement involving the EWS gene on chromosome 22. In
most cases, this involves a reciprocal translocation
t(11;22)(q24;q12), but t(21;22)(q22;q12) and others may also
occur [t(7;22), t(17;22) and t(2;22) translocations and inv(22)].
Although most Ewing sarcoma can be recognized with classical
haematoxylin–eosin (H&E) and immunohistochemistry,
including CD99, EWS translocation detection is mandatory
when the clinical–pathological presentation is unusual, or the
histological diagnosis is doubtful [II, B]. A reference laboratory
for Ewing sarcoma diagnosis should have both FISH and RT–
PCR available. The laboratory is strongly recommended to be
enrolled in an external quality assurance programme. RT–PCR
is the investigation of choice when frozen tissue is available, and
FISH is a good choice when only formalin-fixed paraffin-
embedded tissue or touch preps (imprints) are available. There
are several commercial sources for EWS break