The pathologic assessment of definitive surgical specimens in patients treated for osteosarcoma can be rapidly accomplished using a few pieces of special equipment. Rapid decalcification with formic acid–formalin and routine tissue processing allow the histology laboratory to rapidly prepare histologic slides for pathologic evaluation. A simple qualitative assessment of tumor response to chemotherapy allows the pathologist to classify the tumor response rapidly and reproducibly, and a simple report format allows for unambiguous communication with the patient and physician.
