Background.

Osteosarcoma paediatric patients are usually treated with intra-arterial chemotherapy (QTia) which is administered directly to the tumour. This procedure exposes patients to ionizing radiation. Paediatric patients are especially sensitive to this exposure.

Methods.

The total amount of ionizing radiation received from QTia administration was quantified in a group of 16 osteosarcoma paediatric patients from the Clínica Universidad de Navarra.

Results.

The median of the total radiation received per patient was 33.4 Gy·cm2 (IQR: 43.33 Gy·cm2), and the median number of procedures performed per subject was 10 (IQR: 6.5).

Conclusions.

The study highlights the importance of quantifying the radiation received by a group of children and adolescents affected by osteosarcoma during treatment with QTia. Long-term side effects of this radiation should be considered in paediatric patients. Currently, there are no previous studies that provide data of the amount of ionizing radiation received through this procedure.