With an increasing life expectancy and improved treatment regimens for primary or secondary malignant diseases of soft tissue or bone, hemipelvectomy will have to be considered more often in elderly patients in the future. Scientific reviews concerned with the surgical and oncological outcome of elderly patients undergoing hemipelvectomy are scarce. Therefore, it is the purpose of this study to review the outcome of patients treated with that procedure at our hospital and investigate the feasibility of such extensive procedures at an increased age. A retrospective analysis of thirty-four patients who underwent hemipelvectomy at an age of 65 years or older was performed to determine their surgical and oncological outcome. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the cumulative probability of survival using the day of tumor resection as a starting point. Univariate analysis was carried out to investigate the influence of a particular single parameter. The mean age at operation was 70.2 years. Thirty patients were treated for intermediate- to high-grade sarcoma and 81.8% of tumors were larger than or equal to 10 cm in the longest diameter. Thirteen patients underwent internal hemipelvectomy and nine patients external hemipelvectomy as a primary procedure. Twelve patients were treated with external hemipelvectomy after failed local tumor control at primary operation. Wound infection occurred in 61.7% of cases. Three patients underwent amputation for non-manageable infection after internal hemipelvectomy. Hospital mortality was 8.8%. Clear resection margins were obtained in 88% of patients; in another 6% of patients planned intralesional resections were performed. Local recurrence occurred in 8.8% of patients at a mean time of 26 months after operation. Eleven patients are alive with no evidence of disease and 23 patients died of disease or other causes. Patients with pulmonary metastases had a mean survival period after operation to DOD of 22 months compared to 37 months in the curative group. Despite an elevated rate in hospital mortality and wound infection, this study suggests that hemipelvectomy is feasible in elderly patients, although requiring long hospitalization periods and causing a limited functional outcome.

Custom-made, three-dimensionally-printed (3D) bone prostheses gain increasing importance in the reconstruction of bone defects after musculoskeletal tumor resections. They may allow preservation of little remaining bone stock and ensure joint or limb salvage. However, we believe that by constructing anatomy-imitating implants with highly cancellous titanium alloy (TiAl₆V₄) surfaces using 3D printing technology, further benefits such as functional enhancement and reduction of complications may be achieved. We present a case series of four patients reconstructed using custom-made, 3D-printed intercalary monobloc tibia prostheses treated between 2016 and 2020. The mean patient age at operation was 30 years. Tumor resections were performed for Ewing sarcoma (n = 2), high-grade undifferentiated pleomorphic bone sarcoma (n = 1) and adamantinoma (n = 1). Mean resection length was 17.5 cm and mean operation time 147 min. All patients achieved full weight-bearing and limb salvage at a mean follow-up of 21.25 months. One patient developed a non-union at the proximal bone-implant interface. Alteration of implant design prevented non-union in later patients. Mean MSTS and TESS scores were 23.5 and 88. 3D-printed, custom-made intercalary tibia prostheses achieved joint and limb salvage in this case series despite high, published complication rates for biological and endoprosthetic reconstructions of the diaphyseal and distal tibia. Ingrowth of soft tissues into the highly cancellous implant surface structure reduces dead space, enhances function, and appears promising in reducing complication rates.

Background: Local treatment in pelvic Ewing sarcoma (ES) consists of operation, radiation therapy, or a combination of both. Reported outcomes vary depending on the treatment modality performed. It is the objective of this study to analyze surgical outcome and complications as well as oncological outcome and complications of chemo- and radiation therapy in this patient cohort and evaluate prognostic factors. Methods: Retrospective review of 104 patients who underwent tumor resection for pelvic ES from 1988 to 2014. Results: All patients underwent pelvic resection and radiation therapy was administered in 77.9%. Margins were clear in 94.2%. The response to chemotherapy was good in 78.8%. Local recurrence occurred in 7.7%. The presence of distant metastases at the time of operation was the most important negative predictor for overall survival (p = 0.003). The cumulative 5- and 10-year survival rates were 82.7% and 80.1% for non-metastasized and 61.4% and 41.6% for metastasized pelvic ES at operation. In the presence of a single-distant metastatic site at operation compared to multiple metastatic sites, the cumulative survival rates were 64.3% versus 50% at five and 50.7% versus 16.7% at 10 years. Conclusions: A combined treatment approach of tumor resection and radiation therapy leads to a local control and overall survival rates comparable with those of extremity locations in this study’s patient cohort with localized pelvic ES. Therefore, surgical tumor resection (combined with (neo-)adjuvant radiation therapy) in non-metastatic pelvic ES seems feasible. In metastatic patients, however, the significance of tumor resection as a part of local treatment remains less certain and improved outcomes of combined local treatment approaches need to be weighed against these patients’ prognosis and quality of life.

Limb preservation with megaendoprosthesis in adolescents and young adults (AYA) with bone tumors is associated with functional limitations and gait abnormalities. The proGAIT trial evaluated the effectiveness of an exercise program on gait function and quality of life, functional scales (MSTS, TESS), functional mobility, and fatigue as secondary outcomes. Eleven AYA survivors of malignant osteosarcoma with a tumor endoprosthesis around the knee (mean age: 26.6 (±8.4) years) were randomized into an intervention group receiving an 8-week exercise program or into a control group. Gait function was assessed via 3D motion capture and analyzed using the Gait Profile Score (GPS) and the Gait Deviation Index (GDI). GDI and GPS scores of participants suggest deviations from a healthy reference group. The exercise intervention had small-to-medium positive effects on gait score GDI |d| = 0.50 (unaffected leg), |d| = 0.24 (affected leg), subjective functional scores TESS |d| = 0.74 and MSTS |d| = 0.49, and functional tests TUG and TUDS |d| = 0.61 and |d| = 0.52. None of these changes showed statistical significance. Promising intervention effects suggest that regular exercise could improve lower limb function and follow-up care for survivors; however, a powered RCT as a follow-up project needs to confirm the pilot findings.

Background: Fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) with 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) and other contrast agents has shown its efficacy in improving resection margins, local recurrence and survival rates in several medical disciplines. It is the objective of this study to analyze the engraftment rate of musculoskeletal tumor specimens on the chick chorio-allantoic membrane (CAM), the rate of tumor fluorescence (PDD), and the effects of photodynamic therapy (PDT) after exposure of tumors to 5-ALA in an in vivo environment. Methods: A total of 486 CAMs were inoculated with macroscopic tumor grafts (n = 26; n = 478 eggs) and primary cell culture suspensions (n = 2; n = 8 eggs) from 26 patients on day 10 of egg development. On day 16, 2 mg/200 µl 5-ALA were topically applied per egg. After 4 h of incubation, Protoporphyrin IX was excited using blue light (420 ± 10 nm). Tumor fluorescence (PDD) was photo-documented. A subgroup of specimens was additionally exposed to red light (635 nm ± 10 nm; PDT). After the termination of the experiment, CAM-grown tumors were histopathologically analyzed. Results: Benign and borderline tumors (chondroblastoma, giant cell tumor of bone and atypical chondrogenic tumor) presented with high rates of detectable fluorescence. Comparable results were found for chondrosarcoma, osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma among bone and dedifferentiated liposarcoma, myxofibrosarcoma and undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma among soft tissue sarcomas. Overall, tumor fluorescence was negative for 20.2%, single-positive (+) for 46.9% and double-positive (++) for 32.9% of macroscopic xenografts, and negative in 20% and (+) in 80% of primary cell culture tumors. Macroscopic tumor xenografts (n = 478) were identified as viable in 14.8%, partially viable in 2.9% and partially to completely regressive in 45.2%. All (n = 8) tumors grown from primary cell culture were viable. After PDT, tumor samples were found viable in 5.5%, partially viable in 5.5% and partially to completely regressive in 68%. Egg survival increased with decreasing PDT doses. Conclusions: The CAM model proves to be a suitable in vivo model for the investigation of short-term observation questions in musculoskeletal tumors. The findings of this study warrant further investigation of PDT effects on musculoskeletal tumors and a possible incorporation of 5-ALA FGS in clinical Orthopedic Oncology care.