Osteosarcoma, a malignant bone tumour in children, has very poor prognosis. Insight into the interaction of cancer cells with their environment is expected to provide clues for the development of alternative therapeutic approaches.
Osteosarcoma develops in adolescence at sites of rapid bone growth and has a high metastatic potential, with nearly 20 % of patients presenting with lung metastases and 80 % with micrometastases at diagnosis. Aggressive chemotherapy is the gold standard treatment but the majority of patients show resistance, leading to a dismal 5-year survival rate.
Further details: Novel therapeutic targets for osteosarcoma