Samarium

Source: Osteosarcoma Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version, National Cancer Institute.

Source updated: February 25, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.

Selected source text with whitespace normalised. This Triangle page is not an NCI PDQ summary. Independent clinical review is pending.

Context: Treatment Option Overview / The following types of treatment are used:

Samarium is a radioactive drug that targets tumor cells in a bone. It helps relieve pain caused by cancer in the bone and it also kills blood cells in the bone marrow. It is used to treat osteosarcoma that has come back in a different bone after treatment.

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Treatment with samarium may be followed by stem cell transplant. Before treatment with samarium, stem cells (immature blood cells) are removed from the child's blood or bone marrow and are frozen and stored. After treatment with samarium is complete, the stored stem cells are thawed and given back to the child through an infusion. These reinfused stem cells grow into (and restore) the body's blood cells.

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Preserved source evidence · Independent clinical review pending · Not medical advice