Abstract

Osteosarcoma is the most common non-hematological malignant bone disease in children and adults. The peak incidence occurs in the first 10 years and gradually decreases after the age of 50. Osteosarcoma usually occurs around the growth plate of long bones. Most osteosarcoma tumors are of high grade and are prone to develop lung metastases. Despite clinical improvement, patients with metastatic or recurrent disease have a poor prognosis. Here we review the current understanding of human osteosarcoma, focusing on the clinical aspects and chromosomal abnormalities. With the rapid expansion of knowledge of stem cell biology, it is new that osteosarcoma should be regarded as a differentiation disease caused by genetic and metamorphic changes that interfere with the differentiation of osteoblasts from mesenchymal stem cells.