Osteosarcoma (or Osteogenic Sarcoma), a type of children’s bone cancer, while rare, is the most common form of cancer occurring in the bone. Each year, it affects approximately 400 children in the United States under the age of 20, the majority in their adolescent years. Osteosarcoma occurs most frequently in the ends of long bones, such as the thigh bone nearest the knee or the arm bone nearest the shoulder.
Treatment for osteosarcoma often includes aggressive chemotherapy combined with surgery to remove the tumor. Other forms of treatment may include radiation, hormone or biological therapy, or amputation.
The two-year, disease-free survival rate for children with a primary tumor and no metastases (growths) is about 60-70%. Patients with metastases at diagnosis (such as in the lungs) have an extremely poor survival rate, at about 10%. This means that out of the 400 children diagnosed with osteosarcoma in a given year, 140 to 160 will die within two years. If the child’s tumors have metastasized, their chances of survival are even less.
Osteosarcoma has one of the lowest survival rates for childhood cancers, due largely in part to the lack of available funding for research. Labeled an “orphan disease,” the rarity of this cancer makes finding a cure less profitable for drug companies and research institutes than other more widely-known and commonly-diagnosed cancers. Currently, the National Cancer Institute, the U.S. government’s principal agency for cancer research, allocates less than one percent of its budget to children’s bone cancer research. Attention and funding is instead directed to more common cancers that affect adults in later stages of their lives, such as breast, lung, colon, and prostate cancers.
The Jori Zemel Children’s Bone Cancer Foundation, located in Houston, Texas, is fighting back against these tragic statistics. Funding the only post-doctoral research fellow in the world dedicated solely to osteosarcoma research, the Jori Zemel Scholar fellowship award has helped fund critical research breakthroughs. Additionally, the Jori Zemel Children’s Bone Cancer Foundation provides for the financial and emotional needs of children and families affected by this disease through various morale-building events and activities and vouchers for travel and transport expenses during treatment.
To learn more, visit www.jorizemel.org. For assistance in researching treatment options and finding detailed information about osteosarcoma or other children’s bone cancers, finding financial or emotional support, or other general inquiries, please contact the Foundation directly by emailing info@jorizemel.org or calling (281) 549-2897.
One day we will find a cure!
