Proximal femoral allograft: prognostic indicators.

Between 1972 and 1999, the Orthopedic Oncology Service treated 150 patients with resection and allograft transplantation of the proximal femur. Of the group, 121 patients had malignant tumors of the proximal femur and 29 had benign disorders. Four types of allografts were used: osteoarticular (46 patients), allograft-prosthesis (73), intercalary (20), and allograft-arthrodesis (5). Only 16% of the patients died of disease and 3% required amputation. The overall success rate for the series was 77% with the best results for the allograft prosthetic (82%) and intercalary procedures (87%). Graft infection (15 patients), allograft fracture (26 patients), and local recurrence (11 patients) most markedly affected outcome. With the exception of deaths of disease, no significant outcome difference occurred between the patients with malignant and benign disorders. In conclusion, allograft implantation especially for aggressive or malignant tumors of the proximal femur appears to be a competent system for therapy.