Sheila C. Adams

Office-based Core Needle Biopsy of Bone and Soft Tissue Malignancies: An Accurate Alternative to Open Biopsy with Infrequent Complications

BackgroundBiopsy is a critical step in the diagnosis of musculoskeletal malignancy. As an alternative to open biopsy, percutaneous core needle biopsy techniques have been developed. As many studies combine office-based, image-guided, and operative biopsies, the accuracy of office-based core needle biopsy is not well documented.Question/purposesWe asked whether (1) office-based core needle biopsy for the diagnosis of malignant musculoskeletal neoplasms would have few complications and diagnostic and accuracy rates comparable to those cited in the literature for core needle biopsy, (2) diagnostic errors related to office-based core needle biopsy would result in surgical treatment errors, and (3) tissue core quantity and tumor type would affect accuracy.Patients and MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed 234 patients with 252 core needle biopsies of malignant bone and soft tissue neoplasms at one institution between 1999 and 2007. Biopsy accuracy and errors were determined on the basis of histologic evaluation of prior or subsequent biopsies and/or resected specimens, when available. We eliminated 19 patients who had needle biopsies: three had the core needle biopsy completed in the operating room and 16 had insufficient documentation or followup, leaving 233 for study.ResultsOf the 233 core needle biopsies, 212 (91%) were diagnostic and accurate for malignancy. Fourteen (6%) biopsies were nondiagnostic. Major errors, defined as a benign diagnosis in a malignant tumor, occurred in seven cases (3%). Minor errors, defined as errors in histopathologic diagnosis or grade, occurred in 24 biopsies (10%). All nondiagnostic and major core needle biopsy errors were identified and addressed with either a diagnostic open biopsy or definitive wide local excision, resulting in no surgical treatment errors. Accuracy was not influenced by core number; however, myxoid lesions showed a correlation with biopsy error. There were no biopsy-related complications.ConclusionsOffice-based core needle biopsy for diagnosis of malignant musculoskeletal neoplasms has high diagnostic and accuracy rates without associated complications.Level of EvidenceLevel II, diagnostic study. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of the level of evidence.

Endoprosthetic proximal femur replacement: Metastatic versus primary tumors

Few studies have examined the impact of underlying diagnosis on the functional and oncologic outcomes following endoprosthetic proximal femur replacement (PFR). We performed a retrospective review of 61 consecutive cemented bipolar PFR in 59 patients for treatment neoplastic lesions with a minimum follow-up of 24 months. Twenty-two patients had primary bone tumors and 39 had metastatic disease. Average follow-up for the 30 surviving patients was 55.4 months and the mean postoperative survival for the 29 patients who died was 12.2 months. Patients with primary tumors demonstrated significantly better functional outcomes than those with metastatic disease, with mean Musculoskeletal Tumor Society functional scores of 80.2 and 66.8%, respectively (p=0.0002). Age correlated inversely with functional scores (r=-0.48; p=0.0002), while femoral resection length did not. Preoperative pathologic fracture did not appear to adversely impact final functional outcomes. The Kaplan-Meier 5-year implant survival estimate was 92.5%, with aseptic loosening as the endpoint. Both functional results and survival are increased for primary tumors versus metastatic disease following PFR. However, PFR results in excellent local disease control, reliable pain relief and good functional results in both groups, with prosthesis survival exceeding that of the patient in many cases.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the foot.

Background: Squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of the foot are relatively common, but have been infrequently reported in the orthopaedic literature. Materials and Methods: Twelve patients with SCC of the foot treated at a single institution from 1998 to 2005 were studied retrospectively with regard to risk factors for the disease, treatment, and functional and oncologic outcomes. The mean duration of postoperative followup was 43 (range, 24 to 105) months. Results: Eight of the 12 patients had identifiable risk factors for SCC. Inadequate or inappropriate procedures had been previously performed in eight of the 12 cases, requiring more aggressive definitive treatment in at least four cases. Definitive operative treatment consisted of wide excision (4 patients), partial or complete toe amputation (4), partial foot amputation (3), and transtibial amputation (1). Two patients developed local recurrence of disease, and both ultimately required Syme amputations for local control. One patient with local recurrence died of metastatic disease and the other 11 patients are alive without evident disease. Musculoskeletal Tumor Society functional scores averaged 90 and were good or excellent in nine of the 11 surviving patients. Conclusion: Squamous cell carcinomas of the foot are likely underreported and frequently subject to inappropriate initial treatment. Most patients have identifiable risk factors for SCC that can aid in formulating an appropriate differential diagnosis. Despite frequent suboptimal initial treatment, most patients are candidates for complete or partial limb salvage, with generally good oncologic and functional outcomes expected.

Treatment of Extra — Abdominal Desmoid Tumors with Chemotherapy

Fibromatosis, or extra-abdominal desmoid tumor, is a benign disease which often has an aggressive clinical course that can be difficult to treat. We performed a retrospective review of 16 patients (12 females and four males) with a mean age of 34.2 years treated with methotrexate and vinblastine for newly diagnosed or recurrent extra-abdominal desmoid tumor. The mean age of our patient cohort was 34.2 years (range 11–70), and the mean tumor size was 11.5 cm (range 2.5–21.2 cm). The mean duration of therapy was 12 months with an average follow-up of 43 months (range 1–149 months). Fourteen of 16 patients demonstrated a clinical response to treatment. Eight of 14 patients demonstrated a radiologic decrease in tumor size. Only one patient progressed on therapy. Six patients developed recurrent symptoms after discontinuation of treatment. Chemotherapy-related symptoms including neutropenia, nausea, and vomiting were common and observed in most patients, however these side effects were mild and transient. Five patients developed peripheral neuropathy that prompted a change from vinblastine to vinorelbine during treatment. One potentially life-threatening complication (pneumocystis pneumonia) occurred which was diagnosed early and successfully treated. The use of methotrexate and vinblastine/vinorelbine in the management of fibromatosis appears to be an effective treatment with minimal treatment-related side effects.

Fungating soft-tissue sarcomas. Treatment implications and prognostic importance of malignant ulceration.

BACKGROUND Several variables have been reported as being prognostic with regard to the outcomes of soft-tissue sarcomas. Although the tumors are subjectively ominous, no prior study has been performed to evaluate the treatment or prognosis of fungating soft-tissue sarcomas. METHODS We performed a retrospective review of all soft-tissue sarcomas treated at our institution between 1989 and 2004 that had been followed for a minimum of two years or until the death of the patient. Our study group consisted of twenty-four patients with a primary high-grade fungating tumor, and our control group consisted of 146 consecutive patients with a primary high-grade non-fungating tumor. The study cohorts were compared with regard to disease presentation, treatment, and oncologic outcomes. RESULTS There were no significant differences in tumor size, tumor depth, or histopathologic diagnoses between the cohorts, although the patients with a fungating tumor tended to be older (mean, sixty-five years compared with fifty-five years in the control group; p = 0.004) and have shorter postoperative follow-up (mean, thirty-eight months compared with sixty-five months in the control group; p = 0.03). The proportion of patients presenting with metastases was significantly greater in the group with a fungating tumor (33% compared with 9% in the control group; p = 0.003). Significantly more patients with a fungating tumor underwent amputation (35% compared with 12% in the control group; p = 0.01), while a greater proportion of control patients received radiation therapy (68% compared with 39% in the group with a fungating tumor; p = 0.02). There was no difference in the proportions of patients receiving chemotherapy or in the local recurrence rates between the two cohorts. The Kaplan-Meier five-year overall survival estimates were 20% in the group with a fungating tumor compared with 63% (p < 0.0001) in the control group. The Kaplan-Meier five-year disease-specific survival estimates for patients presenting with localized disease was 58% in the group with a fungating tumor and 74% in the control group (p = 0.05). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that disease stage, fungation, and a tumor size of > or = 10 cm were significant independent negative prognostic factors for disease-specific survival. CONCLUSIONS Malignant tumor ulceration is an independent predictor of a poor prognosis for patients with a high-grade soft-tissue sarcoma. Despite the discouraging overall prognosis, aggressive multidisciplinary treatment can lead to long-term survival in an important subgroup of patients with fungating lesions.

Giant Cell Tumor of the Distal Femur Associated with Complete Tumor Necrosis

Giant cell tumor is a benign tumor of bone with a predilection for juxta-articular locations. Although not malignant, giant cell tumor often exhibits unpredictable and locally aggressive behavior, and in rare cases can metastasize in the absence of histologic malignancy. Partial tumor necrosis has been infrequently reported within typical giant cell tumor. A 17-year-old girl presented with a right distal femur giant cell tumor associated with complete tumor necrosis on histopathologic analysis. The etiology, prevalence, and implications of complete necrosis in previously untreated giant cell tumor of bone remain unclear, as there are no previously published reports. Despite the complete necrosis evident in our patient, she nonetheless presented with pain. There were no radiographic signs of the necrotic tumor space remodeling with new bone. The patient was treated with standard extended intralesional curetting through a generous cortical window permitting visualization of the entire lesion, and systematic high speed burring and thermal electrocautery ablation of the periphery, followed by micro particulate allogenic bone grafting. At short-term follow-up, she had healed well with no evidence of tumor recurrence. This article presents the first case, to our knowledge, of complete spontaneous tumor necrosis in a previously untreated bone giant cell tumor. Increased understanding of spontaneous tumor necrosis associated with giant cell tumor may help guided future targeted medical and surgical treatment modalities.

A 38-year-old Man with Left Knee Pain

A 38-year-old man presented with a 2.5-month history of spontaneous onset of dull, aching left knee pain localized over the proximal tibia and anteromedial knee. The pain was aggravated by activity, improved by rest, and absent at night. It was not relieved by nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs or mild narcotic analgesics, and he subsequently was referred for orthopaedic evaluation. The patient denied any constitutional symptoms such as fever, chills, night sweats, fatigue, or recent weight loss. Physical examination of the left lower extremity revealed no skin abnormalities, palpable masses, or lymphadenopathy. Neurologic examination was normal. The left knee was stable with no joint line tenderness but had decreased range of motion from 0 to 70 and a moderate effusion. There was mild tenderness to palpation over the proximal medial tibia. Imaging studies included radiographs (Fig. 1) and MRI (Fig. 2). Based on the history, physical examination, and imaging studies, what is the differential diagnosis?