Surgical Treatment for Pathologic Fracture of Skeletal Metastatic Lesion of the Proximal Femur: Comparison of Clinical Outcomes for Prosthetic Joint Replacement and Osteosynthetic Fixation / 대한골관절종양학회지

PURPOSE: To compare clinical outcomes of the tumor prosthetic replacement and osteosynthetic fixation for pathologic fracture of skeletal metastatic lesion of the proximal femur. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 1994 May to 2009 May, medical records of 22 patients who underwent tumor prosthetic replacement with tumor resection (group 1) and 15 others (16 hips) who underwent osteosynthetic fixation without tumor resection (group 2) were reviewed. The mean age of overall patients were 59 (group 1) and 60 (group 2). Mean follow up periods were 23 and 11 months. The oncological and functional results were evaluated with Kaplan-Meier methods and Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) scoring system, 1993. The statistical evaluation was assessed with Log rank test and t-test. RESULTS: The mean survival periods were 24 months in group 1 and 11months in group 2. The 1 year survival rates were 86% in group 1 and 50 % in group 2, and 2 year survival rates were 29.7% in group 1 and 9.4% in group 2. The mean MSTS functional score were 26.4 (19-30), 87.9% in group 1 and 15.3 (10-23), 51.0% in group 2. CONCLUSION: The results of tumor resection and prosthetic replacement in selected cases was better than osteosynthetic fixation without tumor resection for metastatic bone tumors around proximal femur in oncological and functional aspects.

Surgical Treatment and Prognostic Factor for Metastatic Bone Tumor / 대한정형외과학회잡지

PURPOSE: In this retrospective study, we tried to find out potential prognostic factors that can be used to determine the optimal treatment for some conditions that are indicated for surgery like pathological fractures or epidural compression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 1985 and 2003 we treated 78 patients with skeletal metastases. A multivariable analysis was conducted using the Cox proportional hazard model. The rates of survival were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: We identified four significant prognostic factors for survival: the site of the primary lesion, the presence of visceral or cerebral metastases, any previous chemotherapy and multiple skeletal metastases. With these factors, we could divide the patients into two prognostic groups: the good prognostic group satisfies more than two of the four significant factors and the poor prognostic group doesn't. For the good prognostic group, the average rates of survival at 6 months and a year were 95% and 28%, respectively, and those for the poor prognostic group were 28% (6 mo) and 13% (1 yr), respectively. CONCLUSION: Each patient's life expectancy should be considered when we decide the surgical method for treating metastatic bone tumor. Patients with a very short life expectancy should probably be treated with a less invasive method but patients with a long life expectancy require aggressive surgery. If the life expectancy is estimated to be at least more than 2 month and 3-6 months for bony metastases to the extremity and spine respectively, then an aggressive surgical method should be chosen. With these practical prognostic factors, the life expectancy may be predicted more accurately and so the optimal surgical treatment can be selected more appropriately.

Current Trend in Metastatic Bone Tumor Treatment

Metastatic bone tumor is a clinical challenge to most orthopaedic surgeons, and physicians. The bone lesions present pain, can progress to pathologic fractures, and cause neurologic deficits. The adequate treatment for the lesions can mean the difference between good and poor quality of life during their remaining time. The goals of the treatment are relief of pain, preservation of function, and maintenance of independence. In orthopaedic field, the goals include prophylactic fixation of metastatic deposits when there is a risk of fracture, stabilization or reconstruction after pathological fracture, and decompression the spinal cord and nerve roots and/or stabilization the spine. To achieve the goals, we should understand the evaluation methods, a pathogenesis of metastasis and the characters of the specific metastatic site. Finally we should have a knowledge about the treatment strategy and understand what the indications of operative treatment are and which conservative managements is correct for the metastatic bone lesions. It is important to consider the type of primary cancer, location of metastasis, extent of disease, expected patient life span, comorbidities, and level of pain when making treatment recommendations. New discoveries and modifications of existing treatments such as percutaneous stabilization of spinal compression fractures and the use of bisphosphonates may decrease the need for invasive surgical management of metastatic bone lesions in the future. Metastatic bone disease should be approached systematically by multidisciplinary team that has various treatment options, and then quality of life of the patients can be improved during their remaining life span. All the doctors participating in the treatment should try to do their best to get an optimal goal, even though the patients should be informed clearly that the treatments may not be curative.

Spinal Cord Compression Caused by a Metastatic Bone Tumor in Buerger's Disease Patient / 대한마취과학회지

Buerger's disease (thromboangiitis obliterans) is an inflammatory, nonatherosclerotic, occlusive disease of small- and medium-sized arteries and veins that involves distal vessels of the extremities. Patients show symptoms related to ischemia of distal lower extremities and upper extremities (claudication, gangrene, rest pain, distal cyanosis). We report a case of progressive ascending motor weakness of the lower extremities in a Buerger's disease patient due to a metastatic bone tumor on the T3 level after lumbar epidural block and continuous cervical epidural block.

Surgical Treatment of the Metastatic Tumors of the Femur / 대한정형외과학회잡지

Metastasis to bone with destruction of the skeletal system is a common problem in old patients with malignancy. Destruction of the musculoskeletal system poses major problems for the patients, including uncontrollable pain, forced immmobilization, pathologic fracture and hypercalcemia. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of surgical treatment and to suggest treatment guidelines for impending or established pathologic fractures due to metastasis of the femur. Between 1985 and 1995, thirty six patients who had pathologic or impending fractures in the femur underwent surgical treatment. The indications of surgery for pathologic fractures are 1) the possibility of survival time more than three months, 2) more benefits of sungical treatment than those of conservative treatment, 3) the possibility of rigid internal fixation, 4) patient s general condition allowing surgery, and those in impending fractures are 1) cortical destruction more than 50% or lytic lesion more than 2.5cm. The method of surgery was excision of the tumor and rigid internal fixation to allow early ambulation with or without bone cement augmentation. The results were analyzed by three criteria, the performance status, pain relief and survival time. Pain relief more than Lots was achieved in 80.6% of patients according to the Kaiko's criteria. The performance status improved more than one grade in all patients except one who died of acute respiratory failure and the mean improvement was 1.8 grade by the Functional Classification of the New York Heart Association. Postoperatively, most of the patients had only slight to moderate limitation of physical activities and felt comfortable at rest and ordinary activities. The survival time was 20.9 months in patients with single metastasis and 10.2 months in patients with multiple metastases. But there was no statistical significance due to large deviation of survival time in each case. In summary, surgical stabilization of the pathologic lesion involving the femur provided definite improvement of quality of life including pain relief and early ambulation. In selected patients with single metastasis, low grade malignancy, or good performance status, postoperative survival time may be expected to be prolonged. More aggressive treatment for the metastatic lesion of the femur is suggested.

Clinical Analysis of Metastatic Bone Tumor / 대한정형외과학회잡지

A retrospective review of 102 patients with metastatic bone tumor seen at Hanyang University Hospital from 1986 to 1990 was performed. We analyzed the cases in the aspects of primary lesions, age and sex distributions, locations and number of metastatic foci, compared with those in the previous reports in Korea. l. 54.9% of the patients were male and 45.1% were female. The incidence of the metastatic bone tumors in female compared with the previous incidence before 1980's years was relatively increased. The peak age was in the 6th decade. The incidence younger than 50 years was decreased, and the incidence older than the 7th decade was relatively increased. 2. The main primary cancers were lung(40.2%), liver(11.8%), breast(10.8%), unknown(8.8%), and uterine cervix(6.9%) etc. In cases of lung cancer, the frequent histologic types were adenocarci noma, squamous cell carcinoma, and small cell carcinoma. 3. The vertebrae(56.9%), ribs(40.2%), femur(17.6%), pelvis(15.7%) were relatively frequent sites of metastasis which involved multiple metastasis. 4. Single metastasis(62.4%) was more frequent than multiple metastasis(37.6%). 5. In the primary cancers, the incidence in hepatoma of male was increasing, the incidence in lung cancer of female was relatively increasing, but the incidence in stomach cancer was decreasing.

Tratment of Pathological Fractures in Metastatic Bone Tumors / 대한정형외과학회잡지

Better palliative management of patients with disseminated cancer has prolonged their lives but has raised the incidence of pathologic fractures in their variable lives. The essence of treatment is to prolong life, maintain comfort, and stabilize the patient with metastatic disease. The treatment of pathologic fractures with internal fixation has long been accepted by orthopedic surgeons and the benefits afforded to the patient are well known, so adequate fixation is essential. A combination of methylmethacrylate and internal fixation devices can greatly enhance the stability of fixation, because diseased bone is a poor base on which to insert an internal fixation device. The authors have treated 19 cases of the pathologic fracture of spine, humerus and femur by use of bone cement with and without internal fixation devices. The results are as follwed. 1. All cases utilized methylmethacrylate and there was no complication in methylmethacrylate in itself. 2. All cases had received various type of ancillary treatment: radiation in 9 cases, chemotherapy in 4 cases and in 8 cases, conservative pain control. 3. In spinal pathologic fracture with paraplegia or neurologic deficiency, the patients could walk with walker at an average of two weeks after operation. 4. Among the 19 cases, the pain was relieved markedly and ambulation was possible easily and early after operation in 16 cases. 5. Among the 19 cases, two survived less than 2 months, 7 surrived from 2 month to 3 month, five survived from 3 months to 6 months, four survived from 6 months to a year and one survived more than a year.

Surgical Treatment of Metastatic Bone Tumors / 대한정형외과학회잡지

Metastatic bone tumors can lead to development of pathological fractures which may cause incessant pain. Hypercalcemia and hypercalciuria may develop secondary to skeletal metastasis and recumbency, leading to death from cardiac and renal sequeale. The proper surgical treatments of the metastatic bone tumor offer many advantages in relief of pain, simplifying nursing care, restoring resonable mobility and prevent complications. The authors reviewed 24 cases of metastatic bone tumors which received surgical treatment at Severance Hospital from January 1976 to March 1982. The results were obtained as follows: 1. Twenty four among three hundred patients with metastatic bone tumors were treated surgically. 2. There was no sexual preference and 66.7% were observed in the age of 51 to 70 group. 3. The most common site of operation was the femur. 4. The methods of operation were as follows: Resectionoflesion.....................5 Replacement with prosthesis..........3 Open reduction and internal..........10 Spinal fusion..........................2 Laminectomy............................4 5. All cases had received various types of ancillary treatment: radiation in 8 cases, 131I radioactive isotope in 1 case, chemotherapy in 2 cases, hormone therapy in 1 case, radiation and chemotherapy in 3 cases and conservative pain control in 9 cases. 6. Among the 15 followed cases, nine survived more than 6 months and 3 cases longer than 1 year after surgery. The pain was relieved markedly in twenty-three patients, and ambulated well with brace support.

Clinical Analysis on the Metastatic Bone Tumors / 대한정형외과학회잡지

A total of 200 cases of metastatic bone tumors was treated at the Yonsei Medical Center during the 5 years period from January 1976 to December 1980. The results of clinical radiological and pathologic analysis are as followings. 1. Among 200 cases of metastatic bone tumors, common site of cancer comprised the lung (30.5%), breast (15.0%), uterus (8.5%), stomach (6.4%), thyroid (3.5%), liver (3.5%), kidney (3.5%), nasopharynx (3.0%), and prostate (2.0%). In male, common primary sites of cancer were lung, stomach, kidney, oropharynx in decreasing order of incidence and in female, breast, uterus and lung. 2. In metastatic bone tumors, 75.5% were observed in the age group between 41 and 70 year of age, and average age was 53.1 years. 3. The sex distribution was 107 males (53.1%) and 93 females (46.5%). 4. The bones affected most frequently in this series were as followings; In only 9 cases (4.5%), metastasis to bone distal to the elbows and knees occurred. 5. Clinical features in this series were classified according to various conditions. Bone pain noticed on 163 cases (81.5%), fatigue on 152 cases (76.0%) and weight loss on 128 cases (64.0%). 6. Pathologic fractures occurred on 22 cases (11.0%); among them, 13 cases on the femur, 5 cases on the vertebrae, and 1 case on the acetabulum, humerus, rib and clavicle respectively. 7. Hematologically, serum calcium and phosphorus was noticed within normal limits. Serum alkaline phosphatase was slightly elevated and serum acid phosphatase was elevated in all cases of prostatic carcinoma. Serum albumin/ globuline ratio was slightly reversed (3.4/3.5mg%). 8. Radiologically, 86 cases were osteolytic, 10 cases were osteoblastic and 44 cases were mixed type. False negative on X-ray examination with positive finding of scan with 99mTc-MDP were found in 17 cases (27.4%). 9. All cases was treated by various methods; among this series, radiation and chemotherapy performed in 57 cases, radiation in 49 cases, chemotherapy in 14 cases, hormone therapy in 16 cases and radioisotope therapy in 5 cases. For 22 pathologic fractures, conservative treatment was performed in 9 cases, open reduction and internal fixation in 13 cases, open reduction and internal fixation with acrylic cement in 5 cases.