Aims Although chondrosarcomas (CSs) display true malignant features, including local recurrence (LR) and metastases, their behaviour in the hands and feet is thought to differ from that in other parts of the axial and appendicular skeleton by having a lower metastatic potential. The purpose of this study was to investigate the disease-specific and surgical factors that affect the local and systemic prognosis of CS of the hands and feet. A multicentre retrospective study was carried out at two tertiary sarcoma centres. A database search identified all patients with a CS treated between January 1995 and January 2018. There were 810 CSs of which 76 (9.4%) were located in the fingers, toes, metacarpals, and metatarsal bones. The median age of the study population was 55 years (36 to 68) with a median follow-up of 52 months (22 to 87) months. Overall, 70% of the tumours were in the hand (n = 54) and 30% in the foot (n = 22). Predictors for LR were margin (p = 0.011), anatomical location (p = 0.017), and method of surgical management (p = 0.003). Anatomical location (p = 0.026), histological grade between 1 and 3 (p = 0.004) or 2 and 3 (p = 0.016), and surgical management (p = 0.001) were significant factors for LR-free survival. Disease-specific survival was affected by histological grade (p < 0.001), but not by LR (p = 0.397).Methods
Results
Giant cell tumours (GCTs) of the small bones
of the hands and feet are rare. Small case series have been published but
there is no consensus about ideal treatment. We performed a systematic
review, initially screening 775 titles, and included 12 papers comprising
91 patients with GCT of the small bones of the hands and feet. The
rate of recurrence across these publications was found to be 72%
(18 of 25) in those treated with isolated curettage, 13% (2 of 15)
in those treated with curettage plus adjuvants, 15% (6 of 41) in
those treated by resection and 10% (1 of 10) in those treated by
amputation. We then retrospectively analysed 30 patients treated for GCT
of the small bones of the hands and feet between 1987 and 2010 in
five specialised centres. The primary treatment was curettage in
six, curettage with adjuvants (phenol or liquid nitrogen with or
without polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)) in 18 and resection in six.
We evaluated the rate of complications and recurrence as well as
the factors that influenced their functional outcome. At a mean follow-up of 7.9 years (2 to 26) the rate of recurrence
was 50% (n = 3) in those patients treated with isolated curettage,
22% (n = 4) in those treated with curettage plus adjuvants and 17%
(n = 1) in those treated with resection (p = 0.404). The only complication
was pain in one patient, which resolved after surgical removal of remnants
of PMMA. We could not identify any individual factors associated
with a higher rate of complications or recurrence. The mean post-operative
Musculoskeletal Tumor Society scores were slightly higher after
intra-lesional treatment including isolated curettage and curettage
plus adjuvants (29 (20 to 30)) compared with resection (25 (15 to
30)) (p = 0.091). Repeated curettage with adjuvants eventually resulted
in the cure for all patients and is therefore a reasonable treatment
for both primary and recurrent GCT of the small bones of the hands
and feet. Cite this article:
We describe 22 cases of bizarre parosteal osteochondromatous proliferation, or Nora’s lesion. These are surface-based osteocartilaginous lesions typically affecting the hands and feet. All patients were identified from the records of a regional bone tumour unit and were treated between 1985 and 2009. Nine lesions involved the metacarpals, seven the metatarsals, one originated from a sesamoid bone of the foot and five from long bones (radius, ulna, tibia, and femur in two). The mean age of the patients was 31.8 years (6 to 66), with 14 men and eight women. Diagnosis was based on the radiological and histological features. The initial surgical treatment was excision in 21 cases and amputation of a toe in one. The mean follow-up was for 32 months (12 to 162). Recurrence occurred in six patients (27.3%), with a mean time to recurrence of 49 months (10 to 120). Two of the eight patients with complete resection margins developed a recurrence (25.0%), compared with four of 14 with a marginal or incomplete resection (28.6%). Given the potential surgical morbidity inherent in resection, our data suggest that there may be a role for a relatively tissue-conserving approach to the excision of these lesions.
Four patients who developed malignant synovial tumours are described; one with chondromatosis developed a synovial chondrosarcoma and three with pigmented villonodular synovitis developed malignant change. The relevant literature is discussed.
