A total of 157 hindquarter amputations were carried out in our institution during the last 30 years. We have investigated the reasons why this procedure is still required and the outcome. This operation was used as treatment for 13% of all pelvic bone sarcomas. It was curative in 140 and palliative in 17, usually to relieve pain. There were 90 primary procedures (57%) with the remaining 67 following the failure of previous operations to control the disease locally. The indication for amputation in primary disease was for large tumours for which limb-salvage surgery was no longer feasible. The peri-operative mortality was 1.3% (n = 2) and major complications of wound healing or infection arose in 71 (45%) patients. The survival at five years after hindquarter amputation with the intent to cure was 45%, and at ten years 38%. Local recurrence occurred in 23 patients (15%). Phantom pain was a significant problem, and only 20% used their prosthesis regularly. Functional scores were a mean of 57%. With careful patient selection the oncological results and functional outcomes of hindquarter amputation justify its continued use. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2013;95-B:127–31

Aims. Survival rates and local control after resection of a sarcoma of the pelvis compare poorly to those of the limbs and have a high incidence of complications. The outcome for patients who need a hindquarter amputation (HQA) to treat a pelvic sarcoma is poor. Our aim was to evaluate the patient, tumour, and reconstructive factors that affect the survival of the patients who undergo HQA for primary or recurrent pelvic sarcoma. Methods. We carried out a retrospective review of all sarcoma patients who had undergone a HQA in a supraregional sarcoma unit between 1996 and 2018. Outcomes included oncological, surgical, and survival characteristics. Results. A total of 136 patients, with a mean age of 51 (12 to 83) underwent HQA, 91 for a bone sarcoma and 45 for a soft tissue sarcoma. The overall survival (OS) after primary HQA for a bone sarcoma was 90.7 months (95% confidence interval (CI) 64.1 to 117.2). In patients undergoing a secondary salvage HQA it was 90.3 months (95% CI 58.1 to 122.5) (p = 0.727). For those treated for a soft tissue sarcoma (STS), the mean OS was 59.3 months (95% CI 31.1 to 88.6) for patients with a primary HQA, and 12.5 months (95% CI 9.4 to 15.5) for those undergoing a secondary salvage HQA (p = 0.038). On multivariate analysis, high histological grade (hazard ratio (HR) 2.033, 95% CI 1.127 to 3.676; p = 0.018) and a diagnosis of STS (HR 1.653, 95% CI 1.027 to 2.660; p = 0.039) were associated with a poor prognosis. The 30-day mortality for patients with curative intent was 0.8% (1/128). For those in whom surgery was carried out with palliative intent it was 33.3% (2/6) (p = 0.001). In total, 53.7% (n = 73) of patients had at least one complication with 23.5% (n = 32) requiring at least one further operation. Direct closure was inferior to flap reconstruction in terms of complete primary wound healing (60.0% (3/5) vs 82.0% (82/100); p = 0.023). Conclusion. In carefully selected patients HQA is associated with satisfactory overall survival, with a low risk of perioperative mortality, but considerable morbidity. However, caution must be exercised when considering the procedure for palliation due to the high incidence of early postoperative mortality. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2020;102-B(6):788–794

We reviewed 34 hindquarter amputations performed for malignant tumours around the hip from 1971 to 1988, classifying them as palliative or curative according to the resection margins or the presence of disseminated disease at the time of surgery. There were three peri-operative deaths, 12 palliative and 19 curative procedures. Ten patients died of disseminated disease within a year of surgery, eight of whom had had a palliative operation. Three patients died between one and five years after palliative surgery. One died of unrelated disease at nine years. Seventeen patients are disease free an average of 31 months from surgery, 16 after curative procedures. The median survival after palliative amputations was six months and the 5-year survival rate for curative cases was 83%

The April 2013 Oncology Roundup. 360 . looks at: the margin for error; new money for old risks; hindquarter amputation; custom tumour jigs; preserving the tibial epiphysis; how long is long enough?; genomics and radiation-induced bone tumours; and India ink

The February 2024 Oncology Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: Does primary tumour resection improve survival for patients with sarcomas of the pelvis with metastasis at diagnosis?; Proximal femur replacements for an oncologic indication offer a durable endoprosthetic reconstruction option: a 40-year experience; The importance of awaiting biopsy results in solitary pathological proximal femoral fractures: do we need to biopsy solitary pathological fractures?; Effect of radiotherapy on local recurrence, distant metastasis, and overall survival in 1,200 extremity soft-tissue sarcoma patients; What to choose in bone tumour resections? Patient-specific instrumentation versus surgical navigation; Optimal timing of re-excision in synovial sarcoma patients: immediate intervention versus waiting for local recurrence; Survival differences of patients with resected extraskeletal osteosarcoma receiving two different (neo) adjuvant chemotherapy regimens; Solitary versus multiple bone metastases in the appendicular skeleton: should the surgical treatment be different?.

A 15-year-old girl presented with a very large desmoid tumour in her buttock; it extended into the pelvis and thigh and would have required hindquarter amputation for its removal. This was not performed and the tumour underwent spontaneous regression. Fourteen years later the patient is alive and well. The suggestion is made that in some cases a more expectant approach to treatment might be justified for what is essentially a non-malignant condition

Aims

Custom triflange acetabular components (CTACs) play an important role in reconstructive orthopaedic surgery, particularly in revision total hip arthroplasty (rTHA) and pelvic tumour resection procedures. Accurate CTAC positioning is essential to successful surgical outcomes. While prior studies have explored CTAC positioning in rTHA, research focusing on tumour cases and implant flange positioning precision remains limited. Additionally, the impact of intraoperative navigation on positioning accuracy warrants further investigation. This study assesses CTAC positioning accuracy in tumour resection and rTHA cases, focusing on the differences between preoperative planning and postoperative implant positions.

Over a 25-year period we have treated 36 patients with osteosarcoma of the pelvis. Of the tumours, 24 (67%) were primary osteosarcomas and 12 (33%) arose either after irradiation or in association with Paget’s disease. Six patients had a hindquarter amputation and 12 were treated by a limb-salvage procedure with intrapelvic excision. The five-year survival rate of all the patients with pelvic osteosarcoma was 18%, while for 17 treated by chemotherapy and surgery it was 41%. The prognosis for patients presenting with metastases or with secondary osteosarcoma was appalling and none survived after 29 months. No patient over the age of 50 years when seen initially survived for a year. Youth and a good response to chemotherapy along with complete surgical excision offer the best chance of cure

Aims

Dislocation of the hip remains a major complication after periacetabular tumour resection and endoprosthetic reconstruction. The position of the acetabular component is an important modifiable factor for surgeons in determining the risk of postoperative dislocation. We investigated the significance of horizontal, vertical, and sagittal displacement of the hip centre of rotation (COR) on postoperative dislocation using a CT-based 3D model, as well as other potential risk factors for dislocation.

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Controversy exists as to what should be considered a safe resection margin to minimize local recurrence in high-grade pelvic chondrosarcomas (CS). The aim of this study is to quantify what is a safe margin of resection for high-grade CS of the pelvis.

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Iliosacral sarcoma resections have been shown to have high rates of local recurrence (LR) and poor overall survival. There is also no universal classification for the resection of pelvic sarcomas invading the sacrum. This study proposes a novel classification system and analyzes the survival and risk of recurrence, when using this system.

Aims

Current literature suggests that survival outcomes and local recurrence rates of primary soft-tissue sarcoma diagnosed in the very elderly age range, (over 90 years), are comparable with those in patients diagnosed under the age of 75 years. Our aim is to quantify these outcomes with a view to rationalizing management and follow-up for very elderly patients.

Aims

Limb salvage for pelvic sarcomas involving the acetabulum is a major surgical challenge. There remains no consensus about what is the optimum type of reconstruction after resection of the tumour. The aim of this study was to evaluate the surgical outcomes in these patients according to the methods of periacetabular reconstruction.

Aims

Proximal femoral endoprosthetic replacements (PFEPRs) are the most common reconstruction option for osseous defects following primary and metastatic tumour resection. This study aimed to compare the rate of implant failure between PFEPRs with monopolar and bipolar hemiarthroplasties and acetabular arthroplasties, and determine the optimum articulation for revision PFEPRs.

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The aim of this study was to investigate the local recurrence rate at an extended follow-up in patients following navigated resection of primary pelvic and sacral tumours.

Aims

Iliac wing (Type I) and iliosacral (Type I/IV) pelvic resections for a primary bone tumour create a large segmental defect in the pelvic ring. The management of this defect is controversial as the surgeon may choose to reconstruct it or not. When no reconstruction is undertaken, the residual ilium collapses back onto the remaining sacrum forming an iliosacral pseudarthrosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term oncological outcome, complications, and functional outcome after pelvic resection without reconstruction.