Aims: To review the data and outcome of patients with osteosarcoma in New Zealand from 1994 to 1999 and to compare this to data retrieved from a similar study from 1981 to 1987.
Methods: Data from 1994-1999 was obtained from the New Zealand Cancer Registry; raw data was also retrieved from the 1981-1987 study.
Results: There were 96 cases in the 1981-1987 cohort and 84 cases in the 1994-1999 cohort. Overall, 5-year survival from osteosarcoma improved from 32.3% to 44.0% between the cohorts. When the cohorts were compared, there was a trend toward improved outcome in most subgroups
Conclusions: The outcome in patients with osteosarcoma in New Zealand has improved over the study period and is similar to that seen in the overseas literature.