Early versus delayed treatment of enchondroma

Enchondromata are among the most common primary neoplasms of the hand, which often present as pathologic fractures. The purpose of this study is to determine whether there are any differences between cases in which both fracture and tumor were treated primarily and those in which tumor treatment was delayed. We reviewed a total of 16 cases; six were treated immediately, 10 were delayed. The immediate treatment group had four complications, the delayed group had one. The theoretical advantages of immediate treatment include a decrease in both the period of disability and delay of definitive diagnosis. This study supports that supposition. However, we did note a significantly higher complication rate for the immediate treatment group (67% versus 10%). Our results indicate that while there is an apparent decreased disability period, there may be reason for caution in immediate treatment of both the fracture and the tumor in pathologic fractures through enchondromata.