Treatment of Recurrent Osteosarcoma and Undifferentiated Pleomorphic Sarcoma (UPS) of Bone

For information about the treatments listed below, see the Treatment Option Overview section.

Treatment of recurrent osteosarcoma and UPS of bone may include the following:

• Surgery to remove cancer in all areas where it has spread.
• Chemotherapy and targeted therapy (sorafenib, regorafenib, lenvatinib, or everolimus).
• Samarium and radiation therapy.

Treatment depends on the area and type of recurrence, for example:

• For tumors that have recurred in the same bone where the cancer started:
  • Surgery.
  • Radiation therapy.
• For tumors that have recurred in the lung only:
  • Surgery.
  • Chemotherapy.
  • Targeted therapy.
  • A clinical trial comparing two different types of surgery (thoracotomy and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery) in treating patients with osteosarcoma that has spread to the lung.
• For tumors that have recurred in bones other than where the cancer started:
  • Surgery.
  • Samarium with or without stem cells, as palliative treatment to relieve pain and improve the quality of life.
• For tumors that have recurred twice:
  • Surgery to remove the cancer and/or chemotherapy.

Clinical trials for treatment of recurrent osteosarcoma and UPS of bone may include the following:

• A clinical trial of a new immune cell therapy.

Use our clinical trial search to find NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are accepting patients. You can search for trials based on the type of cancer, the age of the patient, and where the trials are being done. General information about clinical trials is also available.