Comparison of phenol and argon beam coagulation as adjuvant therapies in the treatment of stage 2 and 3 benign-aggressive bone tumors

Argon beam photocoagulation has gained popularity as an adjuvant therapy for the treatment of giant cell tumors of bone and other stage 2 or 3 benign-aggressive bone tumors. Although argon beam photocoagulation has been considered a safe and reasonable adjuvant treatment with acceptable recurrence rates, it has never been directly compared with the commonly described phenol as adjuvant. The purpose of this study was to determine whether argon beam photocoagulation is as effective as phenol in preventing recurrence without affecting functional outcome as an adjuvant to surgical curettage. We retrospectively reviewed 93 consecutive patients with a minimum 10-month follow-up between 1992 and 2007 who were treated with curettage and either phenol or argon beam photocoagulation. Functional outcomes and complications were recorded. Overall, 16 (17.2%) of 93 patients who were initially treated with 1 of the adjuvants had pathologically confirmed recurrences. No additional recurrences were noted after retreatment, leading to an overall recurrence rate of 17.1% with phenol and 14.8% with argon beam photocoagulation (P=.726). While avoiding the toxic effects of phenol, argon beam photocoagulation provides for statistically equivalent recurrence rates, functional outcomes, and complication rates in the treatment of benign-aggressive bone tumors.     

Giant cell tumor of long bone: a Canadian Sarcoma Group study

A multicentric retrospective study of giant cell tumor of bone was conducted among Canadian surgeons. The hypothesis was that no differences would be found in health status, function, or recurrence rate irrespective to the nature of filling material or adjuvant used in patients treated with curettage. One hundred eighty-six cases were collected. There were 96 females and 90 males. The mean age of the patients was 36 years (range, 14-72 years), the minimum followup was 24 months, and the median followup was 60 months. Sixty-two percent of the tumors involved the knee region. One hundred fifty-eight were primary tumors and 28 were recurrences. Campanacci grading was as follows: Grade 1, seven patients; Grade 2, 100 patients; Grade 3, 76 patients; and unknown in three patients. Fifty-six patients had a pathologic fracture. Resection was done in 38 patients and 148 patients had curettage. The latter was supplemented with high speed burring in 135 patients, cement in 64 patients, various combinations of autograft or allograft bone in 61 patients, phenol in 37 patients, and liquid nitrogen in 10 patients. Structural allografts were used in 25 patients. The overall recurrence rate was 17%, 18% after curettage, and 16% after resection. Patients with primary tumors treated with curettage had a 10% recurrence rate. For recurrent lesions treated by curettage, the recurrence rate was 35%. The nature of the filling material used or the type of adjuvant method used or any combination of both failed to show any statistical impact on the recurrence risk. The results from the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society rating from 1987 were significantly lower in patients who sustained a displaced fracture. Results from the bodily pain section of the Short Form-36 also were found to be lower when a pathologic fracture was present. Results from the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society Rating 1987, the Short Form-36, and the Toronto Extremity Salvage Score did not show differences when either cement or bone graft were used after curettage.     

Alternative surgical treatment for giant-cell reparative granuloma in the metacarpal, using phenol and ethanol adjuvant therapy

Giant-cell reparative granuloma (GCRG) or a solid variant of an aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC) is an uncommon benign reactive lesion with a predilection for the small tubular bones of the hands and feet. Treatment usually involves wide resection or amputation because of unacceptable high recurrence rates after curettage. Adjuvant therapy usually is applied to reduce the recurrence of locally aggressive bone tumors. We report 2 cases of GCRG that were treated successfully with curettage, adjuvant phenol and ethanol, and autogenous bone grafting.     

A new treatment of aneurysmal bone cyst by endoscopic curettage without bone grafting

Curettage and bone grafting are the accepted methods of treatment of aneurysmal bone cysts. Unfortunately, recurrence is common. We treated 4 patients with atypical aneurysmal bone cysts that lacked aneurysmal dilatation by endoscopic curettage without bone grafting. New bone formation and remodeling were observed in all patients. In the patients in whom the follow-up was longer than 30 months, there was no evidence of recurrence. Endoscopic curettage without bone grafting is a simple and effective treatment for aneurysmal bone cysts.Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery, Vol 17, No 7 (September), 2001: E28     

Adjuvant therapy (phenol, bone cement) in giant cell tumors]

69 patients were treated with giant-cell tumors in the Orthopaedic Department of the Semmelweis Medical School in Budapest between 1975-1989. The recurrence rate was 15 cases in 36 patients who were treated with curettage and spongiosa plasty only. In 11 cases the curettage was combined with adjuvants (phenol and/or filling with bone cement). This way the recurrence rate could be decreased to 1 case out of 11. The use of phenol and bone cement proved to be useful adjuvants to the surgical curettage at the giant-cell tumors and without complications.     

Treatment of giant-cell tumors of long bones with curettage and bone-grafting.

BACKGROUND: The use of curettage, phenol, and cement is accepted by most experts as the best treatment for giant-cell tumor of bone. The present study was performed to evaluate whether equivalent results could be obtained with curettage with use of a high-speed burr and reconstruction of the resulting defect with autogenous bone graft with or without allograft bone. METHODS: The prospectively collected records of patients who had a giant-cell tumor of a long bone were reviewed to determine the rate of local recurrence after treatment with curettage with use of a high-speed burr and reconstruction with autogenous bone graft with or without allograft bone. All of the patients were followed clinically and radiographically, and a biopsy was performed if there were any suspicious changes. RESULTS: Fifty-nine patients met the criteria for inclusion in the study. According to the grading system of Campanacci et al., two patients (3 percent) had a grade-I tumor, twenty-nine (49 percent) had a grade-II tumor, and twenty-eight (47 percent) had a grade-III tumor. Seventeen patients (29 percent) had a pathological fracture at the time of presentation. The mean duration of follow-up was eighty months (range, twenty-eight to 132 months). Seven patients (12 percent) had a local recurrence. Six of these seven were disease-free at the latest follow-up examination after at least one additional treatment with curettage or soft-tissue resection (one patient). One patient had resection and reconstruction with a prosthesis after a massive local recurrence and pulmonary metastases. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the high rates of recurrence reported in the literature after treatment of giant-cell tumor with curettage and bone-grafting, the results of the present study suggest that the risk of local recurrence after curettage with a high-speed burr and reconstruction with autogenous graft with or without allograft bone is similar to that observed after use of cement and other adjuvant treatment. It is likely that the adequacy of the removal of the tumor rather than the use of adjuvant modalities is what determines the risk of recurrence.     

Hip joint remodeling in an adult following excision of a giant cell tumor involving the acetabulum: a case report and literature review

We describe a 47-year-old man with a giant cell tumor of bone involving the acetabulum treated with curettage and bone grafting which resulted in good remodeling of the hip joint. The patient had a 15 × 18-cm² mass lesion extending from the right ischium to the acetabulum. Treatment included curettage, phenol, and ethanol application as an adjuvant, and cancellous bone allografting was performed on the subchondral area of the acetabulum. The posterior column of the acetabulum was disappeared by tumor invasion. Despite central migration of the femoral head, adequate hip joint repair was achieved without surgery 5.5 years postoperatively and with no tumor recurrence. The patient could walk without pain or ambulation aids; hip range of motion was 100° for flexion, 0° for extension, 30° for abduction, 45° for external rotation, and 10° for internal rotation, and the functional result was 93.3% in the Enneking scoring system. We performed intralesional curettage with phenol and ethanol adjuvant therapy for pelvic giant cell tumor without tumor recurrence, and good repair of a hip joint adaptation can be achieved even in an adult patient.     

Aneurysmal bone cyst of the extremities. Factors related to local recurrence after curettage with a high-speed burr

BACKGROUND: Aneurysmal bone cyst is a benign, locally destructive lesion of bone. The rates of local recurrence after curettage have varied widely. Therefore, we performed a retrospective study of patients who had had an aneurysmal bone cyst in order to identify the rate of local recurrence and the prognostic factors related to local recurrence after use of contemporary methods of curettage with a high-speed burr. METHODS: We reviewed the cases of forty patients who had been managed by the same surgeon for an aneurysmal bone cyst, as diagnosed on the basis of the latest pathological review, between January 1, 1976, and December 31, 1993. The patients were evaluated with regard to age, gender, the duration and type of symptoms, the presence or absence of pathological fracture, the status of the growth plate, the bone and part of the bone that were involved, the type of operative procedure, the outcome, the radiographic stage, the findings on magnetic resonance imaging and computerized tomography (when it became available) and on bone scintigraphy, and histological parameters. The median duration of follow-up was eighty-seven months (range, fifteen to 267 months). According to the criteria of Enneking, no patient had a stage-1 lesion (one with a surrounding rim of cortical bone), twenty-four had a stage-2 lesion (one with a clearly defined border but no cortical bone), and sixteen had a stage-3 lesion (one with no clearly defined border). RESULTS: Of the forty patients, thirty-four had curettage with use of a high-speed burr. Of these thirty-four, twenty-two had filling of the defect with a cancellous autogenous graft; four, with a cancellous allograft; and three, with polymethylmethacrylate. In five patients, no material was put into the defect. The remaining six patients had resection through the margin of the lesion. Four (12 percent) of the thirty-four patients who had curettage had a local recurrence. No patient who had an excision through the margin of the lesion had a local recurrence. All local recurrences were in skeletally immature girls who were three, four, ten, and eleven years old. Univariate analysis with use of the chi-square, Fisher exact, and Wilcoxon log-rank tests showed that local recurrence was associated only with a young age (p = 0.0036) and open growth plates (p = 0.039). All local recurrences occurred within two years postoperatively, at two, seven, nine, and twenty-four months, and all were treated successfully with a second operation. CONCLUSIONS: Rates of local control of almost 90 percent can be achieved with thorough curettage with use of a mechanical burr and without use of liquid nitrogen, phenol, or other adjuvants in patients who have an aneurysmal bone cyst of an extremity. A young age and open growth plates are associated with an increased risk of local recurrence.     

The Influence of Adjuvants on Local Recurrence Rate in Giant Cell Tumour of the Bone

Introduction: Intralesional surgery of giant cell tumour of the bone (GCT) may result in a high rate of local recurrence. The introduction of local adjuvants, such as cementation, cryosurgery or phenolization, has proved to be successful in the reduction of recurrence rates. This study presents the results of a single institution in surgery of GCT with an evolution in treatment strategies.

Material & Methods: Forty primary and 25 recurrent surgical procedures in 46 patients with GCT of the bone with a median follow-up of 72 months were reviewed retrospectively. The mean age was 32.6 years (range 13.6–57.9 years). Forty-seven curettages and 18 resections were performed. For the curettages, a large bone window was cut followed by high speed burring and bone grafting or cementation. In 34 of 47 curettages and 7 of 18 resections, phenol was additionally applied.

Results: Two patients showed pulmonary metastasis, one died due to metastatic disease. In total, a third of the patients developed local recurrence (32.3%). This was evenly spread among primary and recurrent diesease (32.5% vs. 32%). Seven of 13 curettages without adjuvant recurred (53.9%), compared to 11 of 34 curettages with adjuvant phenol (32.4%). Three of 18 resections developed a recurrence (16.7%). No complications in respect to the use of phenol were seen. Discussion: Phenolization is a safe local adjuvant therapy for GCT. Although the recurrence rate was lower with the use of phenol, this drop was not significant. The comparable high recurrence rate in our study, even if phenol was used, might be due to the fact that curettage was our favoured treatment, even in cases with an extensive juxta-articular tumour. We recommend adjuvant phenolization in the treatment of GCT of the bone after thorough curettage in applicable cases, including where cementation is used for defect filling.     

Aneurysmal bone cyst of the hand: a report of four cases.

Aneurysmal bone cysts are benign lesions that rarely occur in the bones of the hand. Curettage and bone grafting are the most common treatment modalities performed considering the possible functional loss after total excision. Four cases of aneurysmal bone cyst of the hand were identified. Three out of four cases were treated initially with curettage and bone grafting alone without any other local therapy. One had total excision of the lesion. There were two recurrences in the curettage group. Both were treated with excision and followed up for a minimum of 12 months. Curettage alone was associated with high recurrence rates. Total excision of the lesion was the most successful procedure employed. In view of the high recurrence rates following curettage alone and non-neoplastic nature of the lesion, adjuvant treatment modalities such as cryosurgery, electric cauterisation should be considered for initial treatment of ABC. Resection should be preserved for recurrent cases.     

An atypical aneurysmal bone cyst of the head of the humerus, arthroscopic treatment: a case report

Curettage and bone grafting are the accepted methods of treatment of aneurysmal bone cysts. Unfortunately, recurrence is common. We treated a patient with atypical aneurysmal bone cyst of the head of the humerus that lacked aneurysmal dilatation by arthroscopic curettage without bone grafting. New bone formation and remodeling was observed in this patient. There was no evidence of recurrence. Arthroscopic curettage without bone grafting is a simple and effective treatment for aneurysmal bone cyst.     

Percutaneous Ethibloc injection in the treatment of primary aneurysmal bone cysts

The effects of percutaneous Ethibloc (Ethicon/Johnson & Johnson, St-Stevens-Woluwe, Belgium) injection into primary aneurysmal bone cysts were analysed. Two patients with a venous drainage after injection of a medium contrast were excluded. Twelve patients underwent at least one percutaneous injection of Ethibloc. The average follow-up period was 5.1 years. At final follow-up, six patients had complete healing of the cyst, three had partial healing and three, who had no response, were treated by curettage and bone grafting. Complete healing was observed for all the aggressive lesions. No major complications were noted. Ethibloc injection may be performed as a primary treatment of aneurysmal bone cysts if the technique is followed with precision.     

Results of giant cell tumor of bone treated with intralesional excision

Treatment of giant cell tumor of bone ranges from intralesional curettage to en bloc resection. We think that intralesional treatment can be done with low recurrence and complication rates and that these patients have good functional results. The results for 40 patients treated by one surgeon with one technique for giant cell tumor of bone between 1985-1999 were reviewed. All patients were treated with intralesional excision of the tumor with adjunctive cautery, phenol, and methylmethacrylate. All patients had been followed up for a minimum of 2 years with the mean followup of 76 months (range, 26-178 months). In addition, recent functional evaluations were done on 23 patients at a mean followup of 90 months (range, 28-175 months). The local recurrence rate was 12.5%. The nononcologic complication rate was 7.5%. Using the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society functional evaluation, 93% of the patients had excellent results. This long-term followup study on patients treated with intralesional excision and methacrylate showed a low recurrence rate similar to those cited in the literature. Additionally, the complication rate was low and the function results were excellent.     

高速磨钻在侵袭性骨肿瘤治疗中的应用

目的：探讨高速磨钻在治疗侵袭性骨肿瘤治疗中的作用。方法：2000年4月～2001年9月收治长骨侵袭性骨肿瘤病例28例，采用高速磨钻方法治疗17例。首先，开窗刮除瘤腔内肿瘤组织，然后直视下应用高速磨钻沿各个方向仔细磨除瘤腔内壁表面骨嵴，尤其是瘤腔顶部，额外磨除瘤腔皮质骨下1～5mm的骨组织，直到显露正常骨质。必要时也磨除部分软骨下骨，部分病变区域需至关节软骨平面。即使病变部位骨皮质因侵蚀破坏后变薄或已经穿破，应用高速磨钻可能钻破骨皮质，也应继续磨除残留骨皮质，达到磨除干净为止。选择非结构性移植物，包括自体髂骨或同种异体骨、碳酸化羟基磷灰石，填充骨缺损。结果：术后平均随访时间16个月(7～24个月)。无局部复发及远处脏器转移。术后关节功能轻度受限1例；切口早期炎性反应2例；深部感染1例；病变部位远侧肿胀1例。未发生继发性病理骨折。结论：侵袭性骨肿瘤腔壁在肉眼和显微镜下均可见凸凹不平的骨嵴，常刮匙并不能刮除骨嵴间的肿瘤细胞。高速磨钻对骨组织具有较强的切割作用，能较易磨平凸出的骨嵴，虽然仍为病灶内手术，但应用高速磨钻后扩大了手术切除的范围，可以达到边缘切除的效果，保证手术的彻底性。高速磨钻的应用是减少侵袭性骨肿瘤复发的有效手段，值得普及、推广。     

Present day controversies and consensus in curettage for giant cell tumor of bone

BackgroundThe ideal treatment for giant cell tumor of bone (GCTB) is still controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether curettage was successful in the treatment of GCTB. Intralesional curettage with adjuvant therapies, such as high-speed burring, polymethylmethacrylate, phenol, ethanol, and liquid nitrogen, may be used to reduce the local recurrence rate. However, there is no consensus on the optimal use of curettage, along with fillers and adjuvants, to limit the recurrence rate.MethodsWe performed a systematic review of articles using the terms long bones, GCTB, and treatment. Case reports, reviews, opinion articles, or technique notes were excluded based on the abstract. Twenty-six articles included in this review were then studied to establish the index in suggesting the surgical treatment of GCTB.ResultsThe patient’s gender, their age, the Campanacci grade of their tumor, and the type of surgery they had were not significantly associated with the local recurrence rate. Local recurrences seemed to be associated with the site of the tumor, occurring more frequently in the proximal femur or distal radius. A pathological fracture was not a contraindication for intralesional curettage. Treatment with denosumab did not decrease the local recurrence rate in patients who had been treated with curettage.ConclusionThe current literature seems to suggest that the ideal treatment for GCTB is to remove the tumor while preserving as much of the joint as possible. Local recurrent tumors can be treated with curettage to keep the re-recurrence rate within an acceptable limit. The choice for how to treat GCTB in the proximal femur or distal radius requires special attention.