Osteosarcoma occurs in immature bone cells that normally form new bone tissue. It is most common among young people ages 10 to 25. It accounts for about 2.4 percent or (a little more than 200 cases diagnosed a year) of all childhood cancers. This form of bone cancer destroys tissue and weakens the bone.
Osteosarcoma may be triggered by overactivity of bone cells. The very small number of families in which siblings have developed osteosarcoma are being studied for the presence of a rare genetic defect.
In children, about 80 percent of osteosarcomas develop around the knee joint, in the upper or lower leg next to the knee, or the thigh. The second most common location for the disease is the upper arm bone close to the shoulder. However, osteosarcoma can develop in any bone in the body.
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