What Causes Osteosarcoma?
A. Although osteosarcoma is not completely understood, we know it occurs when there is uncontrolled dividing among bone cells. It is associated with genetic mutations in the cells that form the bones. Most often, osteosarcoma is diagnosed during adolescence, when the bones are growing the most. The reason for this association is not clear; it is possible that growing bone cells are more likely to become “transformed” into cancerous osteosarcoma cells.
The vast majority of osteosarcomas are so-called “random cases”, where no specific causes or predisposing risk factors can be identified. In young people, the development of the tumour appears to be in some way related to periods in life with rapid bone growth, hence the average for tumour development is 14-16 years. The relationship to bone growth may also be part of the explanation why osteosarcoma is slightly more common in boys than in girls. However, osteosarcoma remains an extremely rare tumour in all groups of the population, and there is no extra cause for concern in rapidly growing teenagers. The relationship between bone growth and osteosarcoma formation is thought to be due to an increased vulnerability of rapidly growing cells to damage caused by chance or by as yet unidentified factors. Sometimes the person with osteosarcoma or the parents relate a previous injury or trauma to the development of osteosarcoma. However, medical research has not found any relationship between
