Hemiarthroplasty of Pedicle-Frozen Proximal Tibia for Primary Malignant Bone Tumours.

The proximal tibia is one of the most common locations for primary malignant bone tumours and is usually seen in a population that has not attained skeletal maturity. Most of the surgical techniques for resection and reconstruction of the proximal tibia in children involves sacrificing the distal femoral epiphysis, which leads to a significant limb length discrepancy. Hemiarthroplasty is a relatively lesser known technique for knee joint reconstruction that preserves one of the epiphyses around the knee joint. Pedicle freezing is a sterilization technique used to treat malignant bone tumours, without performing an osteotomy of the diaphysis, thereby preventing non-union which is the most common complication of biological reconstruction techniques. We describe the surgical technique of hemiarthroplasty of the pedicle-frozen proximal tibia for malignant bone tumours of the proximal tibia. This is a novel, safe and effective reconstructive method in children, resulting in reduced limb length discrepancy and excellent functional outcomes. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43465-022-00658-9.

Evaluation of Local Recurrence in Giant-Cell Tumor of Bone Treated by Neoadjuvant Denosumab.

BACKGROUND: Giant-cell tumor of bone (GCTB) is a locally aggressive primary benign tumor presenting as an expansile osteolytic lesion affecting the epiphysis of long bones. Denosumab halts the osteolysis by giant cells thereby downstaging the tumor, helping in performing less morbid procedures to remove the tumor. Our aim was to report the incidence of local recurrence (LR) in patients operated following neoadjuvant denosumab, to investigate factors associated with LR following extended curettage for GCTB, and to compare the postoperative functional and oncological outcome of patients operated with and without neoadjuvant denosumab. METHODS: A total of 123 patients with a mean age of 29.6 years undergoing extended curettage for GCTB were retrospectively divided into group 1 receiving neoadjuvant denosumab and group 2 operated without denosumab. The mean follow-up period was 35 months. The perioperative characteristics and outcome were compared between the two groups and the factors for LR of GCTB were analyzed. RESULTS: The incidence of LR among patients operated after neoadjuvant denosumab therapy was 42.8% and was significantly high compared to that in patients without denosumab (p < 0.001). On multivariate logistic regression analysis, use of denosumab as a neoadjuvant was the only factor independently associated with LR following surgery (p = 0.002). Patients treated with denosumab had a lower LR-free survival rate (log-rank, p = 0.018). CONCLUSIONS: Denosumab was independently associated with increased LR following surgery for GCTB. Denosumab has to be used cautiously in patients in whom the burden of downstaging the disease outweighs the possible chance of LR.

Massive FungatingEwing's Sarcoma of Scapula Treated by Limb Salvage Surgery: A Case Report.

INTRODUCTION: Ewing's sarcoma (ES) is a malignant tumor of the bone and soft tissue arising from the neuroectodermal cells. It commonly arises from the extremities of children and young adults and very rarely from flat bones like the scapula. Locally advanced disease with prior history of surgery and poor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in a bedridden patient is usually treated by forequarter amputation, considering the anatomical complexity of the shoulder girdle. CASE REPORT: A young adult diagnosed and previously operated for ES of the left scapula, presented to us with a massive fun gating mass over the left upper back, excruciating pain and inability to use the left upper limb. Limb salvage surgery was performed, followed by adjuvant radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and autologous stem-cell transplantation. The patient is disease free with a functional limb on 3 years of follow-up. CONCLUSION: ES of scapula is very rare. With meticulous surgery and multidisciplinary treatment approach, limb salvage can be achieved even in such advanced cases, thereby prolonging survival and providing better quality of life.

Robotic Surgery Assisted Staged En-Bloc Sacrectomy for Sacral Chordoma: A Case Report.

CASE: Two male patients aged 37 years and 39 years, diagnosed with sacral chordoma, underwent robotic-assisted preparatory adhesiolysis from the anterior aspect of the tumor, followed by posterior en-bloc partial sacrectomy. The average total operative time was 360 minutes (anterior docking + anterior console + posterior excision), and mean blood loss was 930 mL. Both patients were mobilized early, had no postoperative complications, and were free of local recurrence at 18 month of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Robotic-assisted surgery is a novel, valid, safe, and minimally invasive technique which drastically reduces the associated surgical complications of single-staged posterior sacrectomy, resulting in excellent functional and oncological outcome.