OBJECTIVE: Would there be any difference in the prognosis for patients who presented, for example, 8% or 88% tumor necrosis induced by chemotherapy, even though both individuals were considered to be poor responders? The aim of this study was to compare the prognoses for different histological grades (Huvos grade I versus grade II), consequent to chemotherapy, among patients with primary osteosarcoma that was not metastatic at diagnosis. METHODS: Twenty-four patients admitted to a referral center between 2000 and 2004 were selected for the study. The accumulated chances of survival were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier technique. Huvos grades I and II for necrosis consequent to chemotherapy were evaluated as variables in order to determine their prognostic value, in relation to local recurrence-free survival, metastasis-free survival and overall survival, using the log-rank test. RESULTS: Comparing Huvos grades I and II, the following P values for survival were attained: local recurrence-free survival (P = 0.731), metastasis-free survival (P = 0.596) and overall survival (P = 0.669). CONCLUSION: In this series, Huvos grades I and II did not have any comparative prognostic value and had similar behavior.
Bone Neoplasms; Drug Therapy; Prognosis; Survivors
