Intraoperative extracorporeal irradiation and re-implantation of involved bone for the treatment of musculoskeletal tumors.

The purpose of this trial is to evaluate the results of musculoskeletal tumors which is treated with limb salvage surgery and extracorporeal radiotherapy. Patients were treated with en-bloc resection followed by 50 Gy single dose extracorporeal irradiation and re-implantation of involved bone segments. Nine of fifteen were female and 6 were male, median age was 19. Tumor originated from tibia in 7 patients, femur in 3, humerus in 3, calcaneus in 1 and scapula in 1. Preoperative chemotherapy was given to 12 patients, 3 of them had not been treated previously. Median follow-up time of the survivors was 22 months (range 2-47 months); local recurrence and lung metastases occurred in one patient (local recurrence was away from the re-implanted bone segment), and lung metastases were reported in another 3 patients. Wound healing problems occurred in 4 patients and delayed union in 2 patients. Amputation was performed in 2 patients due to uncontrolled infection, and infected bone was replaced by a fibula graft in another patient. Treatment was successful in 12 patients where functional results were good in 9, excellent in 2 and not evaluated in 1. Limb salvage using en-bloc resection followed by intraoperative extracorporeal irradiation and re-implantation of involved bone is a useful and cheap reconstruction method in appropriately selected patients.