Allograft reconstruction for bone sarcoma of the tibia in the growing child.

The outcome of tibial allograft reconstruction after resection of a tumour is inconsistent and has a high rate of failure. There are few reports on the use of tibial allografts in children with open growth plates. We performed 21 allograft reconstructions (16 osteoarticular, five intercalary) in 19 consecutive patients between seven and 17 years of age. Two had Ewing's sarcoma, one an adamantinoma and 16 osteosarcoma, one with multifocal disease. Five patients have died; the other 14 were free from disease at the time of follow-up. Six surviving patients (eight allograft reconstructions) continue to have good or excellent function at a mean of 59 months (14 to 132). One patient has poor function at 31 months. The other seven patients have a good or excellent function after additional procedures including exchange of the allograft and resurfacing or revision to an endoprosthesis at a mean of 101 months (43 to 198). The additional operations were performed at a mean of 47 months (20 to 84) after the first reconstruction. With the use of allograft reconstruction in growing children, joints and growth plates may be preserved, at least partially. Although our results remain inconsistent, tibial allograft reconstruction in selected patients may restore complete and durable function of the limb.

Unplanned surgical excision of tumors of the foot and ankle.

BACKGROUND: Soft-tissue tumors of the foot and ankle are relatively common and mostly benign. Thus, many malignant tumors in this region are improperly treated initially. Unplanned excisions can lead to complications that may adversely affect patient outcomes and prognosis. METHODS: A retrospective review of patients treated at our institute over a 20-year period for malignant soft-tissue tumors of the foot and ankle was performed. The effect of unplanned surgical excisions on outcomes was examined. RESULTS: When limb salvage was attempted, patients who underwent unplanned surgical excisions had more complications and more extensive surgical procedures involving free flaps, and they were more likely to require adjuvant radiotherapy. No difference in recurrence and disease-free survival was evident between the two patient populations. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the lack of statistical power to demonstrate differences in recurrence and survival, unplanned surgical excisions of soft-tissue sarcomas of the foot and ankle probably adversely affect quality of patient care. Suspicious lesions should be referred to surgeons trained in oncologic principles for evaluation and treatment.

Massive allograft implantation following radical resection of high-grade tumors requiring adjuvant chemotherapy treatment.

Since 1976, the authors have performed a total of 36 resections of malignant tumors of the limbs with reconstruction of these by implantation of allografts. All allografts have been supplied by the University of Miami Tissue Bank. Following resection of the long-bone tumor and obtaining acceptable margins, the allograft was inserted to the limb defect with three different techniques: (1) in addition to a custom prosthesis as a hemi-joint reconstruction, i.e., a custom Neer prosthesis and proximal humerus allograft; (2) an osteoarticular graft to replace an articular surface resected with the metaphyseal-diaphyseal portion of the tumor; and (3) an intercalary diaphyseal-metaphyseal graft replacing the resected tumor but preserving the recipient articular surface. Of the 36 tumors, one was in Stage III disease. The remainder were Stage II A or B by the System of Enneking. All of these patients had adjuvant chemotherapy. The follow-up time was 24 months to 96 months. The resection of tumors in 36 patients and treatment with postoperative chemotherapy resulted in a mortality of eight out of 36 and one amputation due to recurrence. Satisfactory results were obtained in 19 of 36 patients. If the tumor failures (eight deaths) and the amputation are subtracted from this number, the success rate is 70% (19/27). Intercalary grafts were more successful than osteoarticular grafts. Chemotherapy was started one to two weeks postoperation for all but four patients to whom it was also given preoperation. These patients were in a Children's Cancer Study Group (CCSG) protocol for prospective study of the effects of preoperative chemotherapy. There was no apparent difference in the allograft success in these patients as compared to patients receiving only postoperative chemotherapy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Lobular carcinoma of the breast metastatic to bone with unusual clinical, radiologic, and pathologic features mimicking osteopoikilosis.

A 55-year-old woman who underwent a right radical mastectomy for infiltrating lobular carcinoma was found to have multiple diffuse osteoblastic bone lesions. Since she was asymptomatic, had no elevation of alkaline phosphatase, and the lesions did not take up technetium pyrophosphate on bone scan, she was thought to have osteopoikilosis. An iliac bone biopsy was performed that showed greatly thickened bony trabeculae with diffuse delicate marrow fibrosis entrapping easily overlooked short strands of small malignant cells. The histologic picture also closely resembled osteopoikilosis. Although infiltrating lobular carcinoma has been recognized as separate from ductal carcinoma in the primary site, its recognition in metastatic foci is still vague. Attention is drawn to its histologic appearance in skeletal metastases so that such lesions will be more recognizable in the future.

The incidence and mechanism of transphyseal spread of osteosarcoma of long bones.

Although the physeal cartilage is considered resistant to invasion by metaphyseal osteosarcoma, no objective clinical proof exists to support this view. Fourteen cases of osteosarcoma of long bones in patients ranging in age from ten to 19 years with open physes were reviewed to determine the incidence of transphyseal spread. The physeal cartilage was not crossed in only two cases. In the remaining 12 cases the tumor crossed the cartilaginous plate partially or completely, remaining in the epiphysis in seven and crossing the articular cartilage and involving the joint in five. Histologic sections showed that increased vascularity occurs initially, followed by osteoclastic and chondroclastic activity at the physeal plate with subsequent tumor tissue invasion. The incidence of transphyseal spread in the three published series (total of 64 cases, including the present 14 cases) is 81.2%. This is contrary to the often published unsupported statements of others. Transphyseal spread of osteosarcoma is the rule rather than the exception.

Congenital radio-humeral synostosis. A case report.

In a 7-month-old male infant with congenital radiohumeral synostosis and associated absent first metacarpal, floating thumb, and hypoplasia of the humerus, the synostosis was resected. Elbow motion was obtained and one year postoperatively there was no recurrence of the synostosis.