Genetics of Pediatric Bone Tumors: a Systematic Review

Background: Understanding the differences in genetics of malignancies is crucial for therapeutic decisions. This systematic review was conducted to evaluate the current evidence on genetics of bone tumors in the context of pediatric cancer. Material and Methods: We performed a systematic review of the literature published on genetics of pediatrics bone tumors, using PubMed, Google scholar, Science Citation Index and Embase. The search profiles used were: pediatric/childhood malignant bone tumors, pediatric/ childhood bone cancer/neoplasm, osteosarcoma/bone sarcoma/Ewing's sarcoma and risk factors/etiology. Inclusion criteria were as follows: focused upon biology and genetics mechanism of primary bone tumors and published in the last 15 years in English. Results: A total of 278 articles were searched for relevancy, determined by article title, abstract, and full copy. After screening the titles and abstracts, 239 articles were excluded because they were the same articles and case reports. Finally, 39 articles were found that fulfilled all inclusion criteria. Conclusion: This systematic review shows that many genetic studies have been performed on the genetics basis of pediatrics bone tumors. The knowledge base formed by this review should facilitate more informative future research. It is important that orthopedics and other specialists be aware about genetics basis of pediatrics bone tumors.