On the other hand, soft tissue and medullary cavity is better imaged by MRI scan.Most times, the early signs of osteosarcoma are caught on X-rays taken during routine dental check-ups. Osteosarcoma frequently develops in the mandible (lower jaw); accordingly, dentists are trained to look for signs that may suggest osteosarcoma. Even though radiographic findings for this cancer vary greatly, one usually sees a symmetrical widening of the periodontal ligament space. A dentist who has reason to suspect osteosarcoma or another underlying disorder would then refer the patient to an Oral & Maxillofacial surgeon for biopsy. A biopsy of suspected osteosarcoma outside of the facial region should be performed by a qualified orthopedic oncologist. The American Cancer Society states: "Probably in no other cancer is it as important to perform this procedure properly. An improperly performed biopsy may make it difficult to save the affected limb from amputation." It may also metastasise to the lungs, mainly appearing on the chest X-ray as solitary or multiple round nodules most common at the lower regions. Variants
Conventional: osteoblastic, chondroblastic, fibroblastic OS
Telangiectatic OS
Small cell OS
Low-grade central OS
Periosteal OS
Paraosteal OS
Secondary OS
High-grade surface OS
Extraskeletal OS

Treatment
A complete radical, surgical, en bloc resection of the cancer, is the treatment of choice in osteosarcoma.
An osteosarcoma (OS) or osteogenic sarcoma (OGS) (or simply bone cancer) is a cancerous tumor in a bone. Specifically, it is an aggressive malignant neoplasm that arises from primitive transformed cells of mesenchymal origin (and thus a sarcoma) and that exhibits osteoblastic differentiation and produces malignant osteoid.Osteosarcoma is the most common histological form of primary bone sarcoma. It is most prevalent in teenagers and young adults. Signs and symptoms
Many patients first complain of pain that may be worse at night, may be intermittent and of varying intensity and may have been occurring for a long time. Teenagers who are active in sports often complain of pain in the lower femur, or immediately below the knee. If the tumor is large, it can present as overt localised swelling. Sometimes a sudden fracture is the first symptom because the affected bone is not as strong as normal bone and may fracture abnormally with minor trauma. In cases of more deep-seated tumors that are not as close to the skin, such as those originating in the pelvis, localised swelling may not be apparent. Causes
Several research groups are investigating cancer stem cells and their potential to cause tumors along with genes and proteins causative in different phenotypes. Radiotherapy for unrelated conditions may be a rare cause.