Surgical consideration for benign bone tumors.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Oncology
• Public Health

Background:

• Limited data exists on benign bone tumor presentation and surgical management in black African populations.
• Surgical approaches for symptomatic benign bone tumors vary widely in medical literature.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the presentation patterns of benign bone tumors.
• To evaluate common surgical indications for benign bone tumors in a Nigerian orthopedic center.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study involving 67 patients surgically treated for benign bone tumors over three years.
• Data collected at the National Orthopedic Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria.

Main Results:

• Common histological types included osteochondroma, giant cell tumor, and simple bone cyst, often near the knee.
• Most patients presented with active or aggressive disease stages, with painful swelling as the primary surgical indication.
• Surgical options ranged from excision and curettage to wide resection with reconstruction; recurrence was noted in five patients, all with giant cell tumors.

Conclusions:

• Benign bone tumor presentation in black African patients is diverse, requiring varied surgical interventions.
• Limb-sparing surgery is feasible, but giant cell tumors exhibit higher recurrence rates.
• Further multicenter studies are needed to ascertain the incidence of giant cell tumors and other bone tumors in this demographic.