Hindawi Publishing Corporation Sarcoma Volume 2011, Article ID 959248, 12 pages doi:10.1155/2011/959248 Review Article The Molecular Pathogenesis of Osteosarcoma: A Review Matthew L. Broadhead,1 Jonathan C. M. Clark,1 Damian E. Myers,1 Crispin R. Dass,2 and Peter F. M. Choong1, 3 1 Department of Orthopaedics, Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne, St. Vincent’s Hospital, SVHM, L3, Daly Wing, 35 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy VIC 3065, Australia 2 School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Victoria University, St. Albans, VIC 3021, Australia 3 Sarcoma Service, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, VIC 3002, Australia Correspondence should be addressed to Peter F. M. Choong,
[email protected] Received 15 September 2010; Accepted 21 February 2011 Academic Editor: H. Kovar Copyright © 2011 Matthew L. Broadhead et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignancy of bone. It arises in bone during periods of rapid growth and primarily affects adolescents and young adults. The 5-year survival rate for osteosarcoma is 60%–70%, with no significant improvements in prognosis since the advent of multiagent chemotherapy. Diagnosis, staging, and surgical management of osteosarcoma remain focused on our anatomical understanding of the disease. As our knowledge of the molecular pathogenesis of osteosarcoma expands, potential therapeutic targets are being identified. A comprehensive understanding of these mechanisms is essential if we are to improve the prognosis of patients with osteosarcoma through tumour-targeted therapies.