The key difference between periosteal and parosteal osteosarcoma is that periosteal osteosarcoma is a type of intermediate or higher-grade osteosarcoma, while parosteal osteosarcoma is a type of lower-grade osteosarcoma.
Osteosarcoma is a type of bone cancer that arises from the cells that form bones. Most of the time, osteosarcoma is found in long bones such as legs. But sometimes, it can also be present in the arms. In very rare cases, it starts from soft tissue outside the bone. Periosteal and parosteal osteosarcoma are two different types of osteosarcomas.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Periosteal Osteosarcoma
3. What is Parosteal Osteosarcoma
4. Similarities – Periosteal and Parosteal Osteosarcoma
5. Periosteal vs Parosteal Osteosarcoma in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Periosteal vs Parosteal Osteosarcoma
What is Periosteal Osteosarcoma?
Periosteal osteosarcoma is a rare type of bone cancer. It normally occurs on the surface of the bones of the legs, known as the tibia and femur. It can also form on the surface of the bones in the arms, known as the ulna and humerus. Periosteal osteosarcoma is also called PO. Periosteal osteosarcoma is a type of intermediate or higher-grade osteosarcoma. It is more common in young people between 15 and 30 years old. Moreover, it is very rare and makes up less than 6% of all osteosarcoma cases. The symptoms of periosteal osteosarcoma may include pain, bone fractures, and swelling of the body parts. Periosteal osteosarcoma does not run in the families, but it can be caused by several genetic conditions that can be inherited. These genetic conditions include Li-Fraumeni syndrome, Rothmund-Thompson syndrome, and hereditary retinoblastoma.
Periosteal osteosarcoma can be diagnosed through physical examination, imaging scans (X-ray, CT scan, and MRI), and tissue biopsy. Furthermore, treatment options for periosteal osteosarcoma may include surgery to remove the tumor from the bone, amputating the limbs in severe cases such as metastasizing, and chemotherapy to kill the cancer cells.
What is Parosteal Osteosarcoma?
Parosteal osteosarcoma is a type of lower-grade osteosarcoma, also known as juxtacortical osteosarcoma. It is a well-differentiated fibroblastic tumor on the surface of the bone. Parosteal osteosarcoma is slow growing and slow to metastasize. It represents approximately 4 to 5% of all types of osteosarcomas. Parosteal osteosarcoma can be found in long bones in the body, such as the distal femur and proximal tibia.
The signs and symptoms of parosteal osteosarcoma include painless, slowly enlarging firm, immobile mass in an extremity such as the posterior distal thigh and a mass that may be several years. Parosteal osteosarcoma is usually present in younger patients who are in their 20s. Moreover, this condition can be diagnosed through physical examination, radiographs, CT scan, MRI, bone scan, characteristics histology, and tissue biopsy. Furthermore, treatment options for parosteal osteosarcoma are operative local surgical excision (geometric osteotomy) and chemotherapy.
What are the Similarities Between Periosteal and Parosteal Osteosarcoma?
- Periosteal and parosteal osteosarcoma are two different types of osteosarcomas.
- Both are very rare cancers.
- They are surface osteosarcomas.
- Both can occur in long limbs.
- Both are mainly seen in young people.
- They can be diagnosed through physical examination and imaging scans.
- They are mainly treated through surgical excision and chemotherapy.
What is the Difference Between Periosteal and Parosteal Osteosarcoma?
Periosteal osteosarcoma is a type of intermediate or higher-grade osteosarcoma, while parosteal osteosarcoma is a type of lower-grade osteosarcoma. Thus, this is the key difference between periosteal and parosteal osteosarcoma. Furthermore, periosteal osteosarcoma is a painful osteosarcoma. On the other hand, parosteal osteosarcoma is a painless osteosarcoma.
The below infographic presents the differences between periosteal and parosteal osteosarcoma in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Periosteal vs Parosteal Osteosarcoma
Periosteal and parosteal osteosarcoma are two different types of rare osteosarcomas. They are both surface osteosarcomas and mainly occur in the long limbs. Periosteal osteosarcoma is a type of intermediate or higher-grade osteosarcoma, while parosteal osteosarcoma is a type of lower-grade osteosarcoma. So, this is the summary of the difference between periosteal and parosteal osteosarcoma.
Reference:
1. Pacheco, Marina, and Alberto Righi. “Primary Malignant Tumors of Bone Surface: A Review with Emphasis in Differential Diagnosis.” Journal of Cancer Metastasis and Treatment, OAE Publishing Inc., 18 Dec. 2020.
2. “Parosteal Osteosarcoma: Bone Tumor Cancer.” Tumor Surgery.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Osteosarcoma with Codman triangles” By bc the path (CC BY-NC 2.0) via Flickr
2. “Parosteal osteosarcoma” By 藤澤孝志 – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia