Can FDG-PET assess the response to chemotherapy and predict tissue necrosis in osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma?

INTRODUCTION: Osteosarcoma (OS) and Ewing sarcoma (ES) represent the pediatric population's most common malignant bone tumors. 18-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography has been shown to be effective in both the diagnostic and staging phases of cancer treatment. In recent years, some studies have also explored the possibility that FDG-PET could have a prognostic role.

Femoral neck fractures treated with cannulated screws: can surgeons predict functional outcomes and minimize the risk of necrosis?

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Femoral neck fractures are among the most frequent in mankind. Screw fixation is considered a suitable approach specially for undisplaced or slightly displaced fractures that occur to young patients. We conducted our study in order to evaluate both functional outcomes and complication rates of patients who received this treatment in our institution. A particular focus was given to the aseptic necrosis of the head, trying to identify if anamnestic, clinical or radiological data could play a significant role as prognostic factors. METHODS: For each case who was treated with screw fixation due to a femoral neck fracture, we recorded data regarding, among the others, BMI and whether they used tobacco products or corticosteroids on a regular basis. Necrosis of the femoral head and mechanical complications were recorded. Functional outcome was evaluated using the Harris Hip Score.      Results: 74 cases were included in our study. The mean Harris Hip score was 89.5. Aseptic necrosis of the femoral head occurred in 9 cases (12.2%). Regular use of tobacco was associated with a higher risk to develop necrosis (p=0.007). The Body Mass Index was significantly higher in cases who had necrosis compared to the rest of our population (p=0.043) and was inversely proportional to the post-operative Harris hip score (p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: While considering screw fixation to treat cases with femoral neck fractures, patient's weight and use of tobacco should be considered as prognostic factors.  (www.actabiomedica.it).

Outcomes of Surgical Treatment for Localized Tenosynovial Giant-Cell Tumor of the Foot and Ankle: A Case Series.

Background: Giant cell tumor of the tendon sheath (GCTTS), also termed Tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT), is a locally aggressive tumor which originates from tendon sheaths or bursas. Around 3-5% of these tumors arise from foot and ankle. Localized lesions in this area are often manifested as firm masses or nodules with slow but continuous progression through months and years. Pain associated with weight-bearing, as well as limitations in joint motions, may be reported, depending on tumor's location. Surgery is the treatment of choice for the definitive removal of GCTTSs with the aim to eradicate the neoplasm and restore the lower limb's functionality. Methods: Thirteen cases suffering from GCTTS of the foot and ankle underwent surgical resection at our institution between 2017 and 2022. For each case we recorded pre-operative and post-operative symptoms, as well as their pre-operative and post-operative functional status according to both MSTS and AOFAS scores. Eventual complications and local recurrences were reported. Results: Each patient experienced an at least mild pain before surgical treatment. The mean pre-operative MSTS and AOFAS scores were 22.8 and 70.7, respectively. The mean tumor size was 17.7 mm. Each patient received a resection with wide margins. Two cases (15.4%) had local recurrences. None had major complications at their latest follow-up. After the surgery, the mean post-operative MSTS and AOFAS scores increased to 28.3 and 92.2, respectively. Conclusion: Resection with wide margins for foot and ankle GCTTS is effective in restoring the patients' lower limb functionality and is associated with reasonable local recurrence rates.

Complications and Risk Factors in En Bloc Resection of Spinal Tumors: A Retrospective Analysis on 298 Patients Treated in a Single Institution.

En bloc resection consists in the surgical removal of a vertebral tumor in a single piece with a sufficient margin, to improve survival and reduce recurrence rate. This procedure is technically demanding and correlates with a high complication rate. The purpose of this study is to investigate the risk factors for complications in en bloc resection and evaluate if benefits overcome the risks in term of overall survival. We retrospectively analyzed prospectively collected data of patients treated with en bloc resection between 1980 and 2021. Complications were classified according to SAVES-V2. Overall Survival was estimated using Kaplan-Meier method. A total of 149 patients out of 298 (50%) suffered from at least one complication. Moreover, 220 adverse events were collected (67 intraoperative, 82 early post-operative, 71 late post-operative), 54% of these were classified as grade 3 (in a severity scale from 1 to 6). Ten years overall survival was 67% (95% CI 59-74). The occurrence of relapses was associated to an increased risk of mortality with OR 3.4 (95% CI 2.1-5.5), while complications did not affect the overall survival. Despite a high complication rate, en bloc resection allows for a better control of disease and should be performed in selected patients by specialized surgeons.

Synovial sarcomas: A single surgeon experience of 130 cases.

BACKGROUND: Synovial sarcoma is a rare malignant tumor that generally requires a multidisciplinary therapeutic approach. In this study we report the experience of a single surgeon, evaluating surgical and oncological outcomes of the cases he treated through his 30 years carrier. METHODS: We enrolled patients treated surgically between 1988 and 2018. Surgical and medical treatments, as well as surgical and oncological results, were investigated. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty cases were included. Surgical resection was carried out achieving wide margins in 90% of the cases. At their latest follow-up, 76 patients were continuously disease free, 16 were no evidence of disease, and other 16 were alive with disease. Twenty cases were dead of disease and two dead of other causes. Twenty-five patients (19%) had local recurrence of synovial sarcoma through their postoperative intercourse. Thirty-seven patients (28%) were diagnosed with at least a metastasis during their follow-up. The global survival of our population, at each patient's latest follow-up, was 82%. Cases with tumor size above 5 cm had a significantly higher risk to develop metastasis (p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Synovial sarcoma is a threatening disease and represents a challenge for oncological physicians and surgeons. Early diagnosis and multidisciplinary approach are mandatory to limit the spread of synovial sarcomas, maximizing the effectiveness of surgery and the other treatments.

Peripheral schwannomas of the tibial nerve: surgical results in a case series.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK: Schwannomas of the lower limb are uncommon benign tumors and those arising from Tibial Nerve are particularly rare. We report our experience on the topic, with particular attention to clinical presentation and lower limbs overall functionality before and after treatment. Our aim is to assess clinical impairment caused by the tumor and evaluate the effectiveness of surgical treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Time between symptoms outbreak and diagnosis, as well as pre- operative tumor size were evaluated for each case. Pre-operative and post-operative overall lower limb functionality were assessed using both MSTS and LEFS scores. Sensitive symptoms and muscular strength were also evaluated before and after surgery. RESULTS: 7 patients were included in our study. The mean follow-up was 22.9 months. Average diagnostic delay was 8 months and tumor size was 29.3mm. Before surgery each patient had positive Hoffmann-Tinel sign and an at least mild paresthesia, 57% of our cases had slight reduction of muscular strength. Pre-operative MSTS score was 24.4 and LEFS score was 64.7. Tumor size and diagnostic delay were associated with pre-operative functionality. No major local complication was recorded during or after surgery. Each patient with pre-operative sensitive or motorial deficit benefited the effects of surgical treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our cases suggest early diagnosis could reduce the impact of the disease on patients' activities of daily living and quality of life. Surgery, for its part, represents a safe and reliable approach to Tibial Nerve schwannomas with good chances of clinical and functional remission.

Hybrid Simulation and Planning Platform for Cryosurgery with Microsoft HoloLens.

Cryosurgery is a technique of growing popularity involving tissue ablation under controlled freezing. Technological advancement of devices along with surgical technique improvements have turned cryosurgery from an experimental to an established option for treating several diseases. However, cryosurgery is still limited by inaccurate planning based primarily on 2D visualization of the patient's preoperative images. Several works have been aimed at modelling cryoablation through heat transfer simulations; however, most software applications do not meet some key requirements for clinical routine use, such as high computational speed and user-friendliness. This work aims to develop an intuitive platform for anatomical understanding and pre-operative planning by integrating the information content of radiological images and cryoprobe specifications either in a 3D virtual environment (desktop application) or in a hybrid simulator, which exploits the potential of the 3D printing and augmented reality functionalities of Microsoft HoloLens. The proposed platform was preliminarily validated for the retrospective planning/simulation of two surgical cases. Results suggest that the platform is easy and quick to learn and could be used in clinical practice to improve anatomical understanding, to make surgical planning easier than the traditional method, and to strengthen the memorization of surgical planning.

Proximal Humerus Reconstruction after Tumor Resection: An Overview of Surgical Management.

Proximal humerus is one of the anatomical sites that are most frequently involved by bone and soft tissue malignant tumors. Alone or in association with adjuvant treatments, surgery represents the main therapeutic option to treat and eradicate these diseases. Once the first-line option, in the last decades, amputation lost its role as treatment of choice for the large majority of cases in favor of the modern limb sparing surgery that promises to preserve anatomy and-as much as possible-upper limb functionality. Currently, the main approaches used to replace proximal humerus after a wide resection in oncologic surgery can be summarized in biological reconstructions (allografts and autografts), prosthetic reconstructions (anatomic endoprostheses, total reverse shoulder prostheses), and graft-prosthetic composite reconstructions. The purpose of this overview is to present nowadays surgical options for proximal humerus reconstruction in oncological patients, with their respective advantages and disadvantages.