Malignant bone tumors in children: Ewing's sarcoma.

Overview

Ewing's sarcoma is a rare, malignant, small, round-cell tumor of bone. Most tumors arise in the diaphyses of long bones, but any bone can be involved. Chemotherapy is essential for long-term survival. Multiagent protocols are superior to single-agent therapies, but the ideal regimen has not been established. Both radiation therapy and surgery have been employed for local control of primary tumors. Control with either modality is significantly better when used in conjunction with effective chemotherapy. Patients who present with metastatic disease or pelvic primaries have a worse prognosis. Autologous bone marrow transplantation may improve disease-free survival for this group.