Osteoarticular allograft in surgery for high-grade malignant tumours of bone

• Published in: Journal of bone and joint surgery. British volume Vol. 82; no. 7; pp. 1006 - 1010
• Main Authors: RÖDL, Robert W, OZAKI, Toshifumi, HOFFMANN, Christiane, BÖTTNER, Friedrich, LINDNER, Norbert, WINKELMANN, Winfried
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London British Editorial Society of Bone and Joint Surgery 01-09-2000; British Editorial Society of Bone & Joint Surgery
• Edition: British volume
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Bone Cements - therapeutic use; Bone Neoplasms - surgery; Bone Transplantation - methods; Child; Female; Femoral Neoplasms - surgery; Follow-Up Studies; Fractures, Bone - etiology; Graft Survival; Humans; Humerus - surgery; Male; Medical sciences; Orthopedic surgery; Osteosarcoma - secondary; Osteosarcoma - surgery; Reoperation; Salvage Therapy; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgical Wound Infection - etiology; Tibia - surgery; Transplantation, Homologous; Human; Prognosis; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Homograft; Surgical resection; Anatomical reconstruction; Malignant tumor; Osteoarticular system; Orthopedic surgery; Treatment; Graft; Bone; Technique; Long bone
• ISSN: 0301-620X; 2049-4394; 2044-5377; 2049-4408
• DOI: 10.1302/0301-620X.82B7.0821006

We assessed the results of 17 limb-salvage procedures using osteoarticular allografts after wide resection of high-grade malignant bone tumours. All patients received chemotherapy. At the five-year follow-up, three patients had died from metastases. The allografts survived for five years in only seven patients all of whom had good function, ranging from 73% to 90% of normal. The allografts were removed because of fracture in seven patients and infection in one, and in all of these a second limb-salvage procedure was undertaken. With such a low rate of survival of osteoarticular allografts, we believe that their use in the management of high-grade malignant bone tumours should, at best, be considered a temporary solution.