Is local recurrence in bone and soft tissue sarcomas just a local recurrence or does it impact the overall survival, retrospective cohort from a sarcoma referral center.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Sarcoma local recurrence (LR) is often associated with metastasis, but it is unclear if LR can be a causal event leading to metastasis. We question if LR is best viewed as an independent oncologic event or as a worrisome harbinger threatening a patient's overall survival. METHODS: We identified patients with LR and/or metastasis from an ongoing cohort of 629 patients with primary sarcoma and performed a detailed review to assess the timing of metastasis resulting in the following groups: (1) Isolated LR, (2) LR before metastasis, (3) LR within 6 months of metastasis, (4) LR 6-12 months after metastasis, (5) LR >12 months after metastasis, and (6) metastasis at diagnosis. RESULTS: Overall, 43 patients met the inclusion criteria with an LR rate of 7%. Ten patients (2% of the entire cohort, 23% of LR) developed an LR before or within 6 months of metastasis. For patients without systemic disease preceding LR, 3 of 23 soft tissue sarcoma STS (13%) and 7 of 10 bone sarcoma (70%) subsequently developed metastasis (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: LR with subsequent metastasis is a rare event. LR appears to be best viewed as a marker of tumor aggressiveness rather than the cause of metastasis and poor survival. LR in bone sarcoma patients should warn providers of a high risk of imminent metastasis.

What is the likelihood of nonpulmonary metastasis occurring in the absence of lung metastasis in bone and soft tissue sarcoma? A nested case-control from a sarcoma referral centre.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Nonpulmonary metastases (NPM) are rare, associated with a poorer prognosis, and maybe missed on conventional chest imaging for sarcoma surveillance. We determined (1) the proportion of NPM occurring in isolation or with synchronous or prior pulmonary metastases (PM), and (2) if initial NPM would have been recognized with a standard surveillance protocol. METHODS: Investigators identified patients who developed initial NPM without prior evidence of or concurrent PM from an ongoing cohort of bone and soft tissue sarcoma (STS) patients. Logistic regression at univariate level was done. RESULTS: There were 138/630 (22%) patients with metastasis and 66 (10%) had NPM: 50 (8%) patients had PM presenting first, while 16 (3%) had initial NPM. Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor, angiosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, synovial sarcoma, and myxoid liposarcoma were six times more likely to develop initial NPM than other subtypes of STS with odds ratio = 6 (95% confidence interval: 1.93-18.65, p value < 0.01). Chest imaging and physical examination were sufficient to identify NPM in all except three bone sarcoma patients. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who develop initial NPM are rare and demonstrate a predilection towards some subtypes of extremity sarcoma. They develop oligometastatic disease, which may be amenable for surgical excision. All isolated or initial NPM in STS patients were discovered by physical examination and standard chest imaging.

The need for simulation in surgical education in developing countries. The wind of change. Review article.

Operative skills are the heart and soul of surgical practice. An extensive amount of literature has been devoted to the art and science of acquiring these skills which start by mastering basic skills until automaticity has been achieved. The current model of surgical education is purely based on sheer volume of patients, restrictions in the maximum number of working hours for trainees and increased pressures of operating room efficiency. This leads to limited teaching time. Adding to the scenario is the emphasis on patient safety and greater awareness of medico-legal consequences following medical errors. All this has significantly hampered the learning experience of surgical trainees and limited the expert surgeon's ability to fulfil trainees' learning needs during complex procedures. Thus, learning strategies outside the operating room were required to provide an ideal environment for learning without putting patients' health at risk. This has led to increased use of simulators in modern surgical training. The situation is even more worrisome in developing countries where the availability of these facilities is either extremely limited or nonexistent. The current narrative review was planned to go over the importance of simulation in surgical education and to question its utility in developing countries.

Bone graft donor site infection with a rare organism, Aeromonas Hydrophila. A typical location, presentation and organism with 2 years follow-up. Case report.

INTRODUCTION: Aeromonas are Gram-negative bacilli often causing necrotizing fasciitis or sepsis in immunocompromised patients. Aeromonas Hydrophila is most often found in immunocompromised patients or those with burns or aquatic trauma. When patients present with a discharge and infection on bone graft donor site and progressive sepsis, an Aeromonas hydrophila infection should be considered in the differential diagnosis. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We report here a rare case of Aeromonas hydrophila with surgical site sepsis/infection in an immunocompromised 69 years old female, with several comorbids. Here we are reporting infection on donor surgical graft site, sparing major surgical site with the implant. After getting culture report of exudates from the wound that grew A. hydrophila, immediate wound debridement and antibiotic beads insertion was performed with appropriate antimicrobial therapy and regular wound dressing. She was followed for around 2 years. DISCUSSION: This is the first report to our knowledge of A. Hydrophila infection in bone graft donor site. Aeromonas most often cause gastrointestinal and soft tissue infections, and bacteremia in immunocompromised patients. Early surgical intervention is essential to reducing mortality in deep soft tissue infections caused by this organism. Aeromonas have shown resistance to penicillin but are sensitive to other broad-spectrum antibiotics. CONCLUSION: Early suspicion, diagnosis, and treatment with potent antibiotics are needed to prevent any further complications resulting from infection by this emerging aggressive pathogen.

Systemic sclerosis: Clinical manifestations, anesthetic and orthopedic considerations in a patient.

INTRODUCTION: Systemic sclerosis is a rare and progressive multisystem autoimmune disorder that is characterized pathologically by vascular abnormalities, connective tissue sclerosis and atrophy of skin and various internal organs (e.g., alimentary tract, lungs, heart, kidney, CNS), and autoantibodies. With an unknown etiology, Scleroderma is a complex polygenetic disease. A recent Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) confirmed a strong association with the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) and autoimmunity. We provide a case scenario along with a review of the systems involved and challenges physicians can face in dealing with this rare disease. CASE PRESENTATION: Our patient, a known case of systemic sclerosis, was admitted with a history of right femur fracture following a fall. We highlight the medical, anesthetic and surgical challenges faced by our team in the management of this patient. We will explain the stages patient faced in treatment process till her death. We combined the case report with detailed literature review of this rare disease. DISCUSSION: Systemic sclerosis is a complex disease process with many different levels of system involvement. Patient needs to be reviewed thoroughly in preoperative period by multidisciplinary team and counseled in detail about the difficulties in procedure, risks and complications. CONCLUSION: Patient with scleroderma presents a challenge to the surgical team and anesthetist and a multidisciplinary approach should be followed with all of these patients to avoid catastrophic results.