Curative local control of malignant tumors in the acetabulum by intraoperative radiotherapy.

As treatment for malignant tumors in the acetabular region of the pelvis, radiotherapy, mainly in the form of intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT), was carried out in four patients. One had a malignant fibrous histiocytoma of bone and three had metastatic tumors from the stomach and lung. Over follow-up period, ranging from 3 to 46 months, satisfactory limb function was preserved in three patients; the fourth suffered from femoral nerve palsy as a complication of IORT. Cessation of growth was observed radiologically in all the tumors, and curative local control was proven histologically in two patients at autopsy.