The key difference between osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma is that osteosarcoma is a common cancer in bone tissues of children and usually occurs in bones around the knee, while Ewing’s sarcoma is a common cancer in bone tissues of children that usually occurs in bones of the pelvis, thigh, upper arm, or ribs.
Osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma are two common types of cancers of the bone tissues in children. Among them, osteosarcoma is more common than Ewing’s sarcoma. They are primary malignant bone tumors that account for 6% of all childhood malignancies. Moreover, recent treatment advancements such as chemotherapy and limb-sparing surgery have significantly led to increased survival rates for both conditions.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Osteosarcoma
3. What is Ewing’s Sarcoma
4. Similarities – Osteosarcoma and Ewing’s Sarcoma
5. Osteosarcoma vs Ewing’s Sarcoma in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Osteosarcoma vs Ewing’s Sarcoma
What is Osteosarcoma?
Osteosarcoma is a common cancer in the bone tissues of children. It usually occurs in bones around the knee. Osteosarcoma also tends to occur in teenagers and young adults. It is more often found in long bones like legs but sometimes in the arms as well. In rare cases, it occurs in soft tissue outside the bones. The signs and symptoms may include swelling near bones, bone or joint pain, bone injury, or a break for no reason. Moreover, osteosarcoma is caused when a healthy bone cell develops changes in its DNA. The most common gene mutation that causes osteosarcoma includes the Tp53 gene on chromosome 17. The complications of this condition include cancer metastasizing to other areas of the body, adapting limb amputation, and side effects from long-term treatment such as aggressive chemotherapy.
Figure 01: Osteosarcoma
Osteosarcoma can be diagnosed through physical examination and imaging tests such as CT scan, MRI scan, PET scan, bone scan, and tissue biopsy (needle biopsy and surgical biopsy). Furthermore, treatment options for osteosarcoma may include surgery (limb-sparing surgery, amputation, rotationplasty), chemotherapy (chemotherapeutic drugs such as methotrexate, doxorubicin, cisplatin, ifosfamide, cyclophosphamide, etoposide, and gemcitabine), and radiation therapy (high energy beams like X-ray and protons).
What is Ewing’s Sarcoma?
Ewing’s sarcoma is a common cancer in the bone tissues of children and usually occurs in bones of the pelvis, thigh, upper arm, or ribs. Normally, Ewing’s sarcoma begins in the leg bones and pelvis, and in rare cases, it can occur in soft tissues of the chest, abdomen, limbs, or any other location. Moreover, Ewing’s sarcoma is very common in children. However, it can occur at any age. The signs and symptoms of Ewing’s sarcoma may include pain, swelling, or tenderness around the affected area, bone pain, unexplained tiredness or weakness, fever without cause, and unexplained weight loss. The most common gene mutations that cause Ewing’s sarcoma include the EWSR1 gene on chromosome 22 and the FLI1 gene on chromosome 11. The complications of this cancer are cancer metastasizes (to lungs and other bones) and long-term aggressive treatment side effects.
Figure 02: Ewing’s Sarcoma
Ewing’s sarcoma can be diagnosed through medical history, physical examination, imaging tests like CT scan, MRI scan, PET scan, bone scan, and tissue biopsy (needle biopsy and surgical biopsy). Furthermore, treatment options for Ewing’s sarcoma include combination chemotherapy (vincristine, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide or ifosfamide and etoposide), radiation therapy as palliative therapy, and surgery to remove tumors that have spread to the lungs.
What are the Similarities Between Osteosarcoma and Ewing’s Sarcoma?
- Osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma are two common types of cancers of the bone tissues in children.
- Both cancers account for 6% of all childhood malignancies.
- They mainly occur in long bones and rarely in soft tissues near bones.
- Both cancers can be diagnosed through similar techniques such as imaging tests (CT scan, MRI scan, PET scan, bone scan) and tissue biopsy.
- They can be treated through chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgeries.
What is the Difference Between Osteosarcoma and Ewing’s Sarcoma?
Osteosarcoma is a common cancer that usually occurs in bones around the knee, while Ewing’s sarcoma is a common cancer that usually occurs in bones of the pelvis, thigh, upper arm, or ribs. Thus, this is the key difference between osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma. Furthermore, osteosarcoma is a more common bone cancer.
The below infographic presents the differences between osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Osteosarcoma vs Ewing’s Sarcoma
Osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma are two common bone cancers in children and teenagers. Osteosarcoma is a common cancer in bone tissues of children and usually occurs in bones around the knee, while Ewing’s sarcoma is a common cancer in bone tissues of children and usually occurs in bones of the pelvis, thigh, upper arm, or ribs. So, this summarizes the difference between osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma.
Reference:
1. “Ewing Sarcoma.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 7 Jan. 2022.
2. “Osteosarcoma.” Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2 Mar. 2020.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Distribution of Ewing’s sarcoma” By Frank Gaillard – (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Osteosarcoma – intermed mag” By Nephron – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia