Pediatric osteosarcoma: a 35-year experience in Slovenia.

The purpose of this study was to review all the children and adolescents treated for osteosarcoma in Slovenia between 1968 and 1997. Seventy-four patients were included in this retrospective study and classified according to the newly devised classification based on clinical and imaging studies. The overall survival rate is 48%. The stage of the disease and the treatment, including chemotherapy, are the only prognostic factors significantly influencing survival. The survival of patients with osteosarcoma has improved with chemotherapy, but new therapeutic strategies should be found for different stages of disease. The authors' newly devised classification based on clinical and imaging studies proved to be adequate.