Survival benefits and challenges of adjuvant chemotherapy for high-grade osteosarcoma: a population-based study

BACKGROUND: Osteosarcoma is the most prevalent primary malignant bone tumor. The primary treatment for osteosarcoma is a combination of chemotherapy and surgery. However, there has been no recent progress in the role of chemotherapy in improving the long-term survival of osteosarcoma patients. This study aims to analyze the factors that affect chemotherapy in patients with osteosarcoma and explore the challenges and survival benefits of chemotherapy. METHODS: Patient data were downloaded from The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Univariable and multivariable logistic regressions were used to analyze the factors affecting patients receiving chemotherapy. Kaplan–Meier (K–M) curve was used to analyze the survival benefit of chemotherapy in patients with osteosarcoma. Finally, we used annual percentage change (APC) to evaluate the annual changes in chemotherapy treatment rates and trends in 5-year survival rates in osteosarcoma patients. RESULTS: A total of 2157 osteosarcoma patients were included, of which 1887 patients received chemotherapy. Factors affecting patients receiving chemotherapy included age, primary tumor site, tumor size, N stage, M stage, and surgery. The K–M curve showed that older patients could benefit significantly from chemotherapy. The APC results showed no significant change in the chemotherapy treatment rate and 5-year overall survival rate of osteosarcoma patients. CONCLUSION: Chemotherapy is an irreplaceable treatment for patients with osteosarcoma. However, in recent years, there has been no significant progress in chemotherapy for osteosarcoma, and the long-term survival of patients has not improved significantly. New chemotherapeutic drugs or drug delivery systems are urgently needed to improve the prognosis of patients with osteosarcoma.