Giant cell tumour of bone: a new evaluating system is necessary

Giant cell tumour (GCT) of bone is still one of the most obscure and intensively studied tumours of bone. The histogenesis of GCT remains unclear. The recommended therapy of GCT evolved during the 20th century. The best treatment should ensure local control and maintain function. Curettage has been the preferred treatment for most GCTs. Good results have also been published on the use of high-speed burr and local adjuvants. Local tumour control can be satisfactorily achieved by wide excision. However, treatment options for GCT have remained fairly static over the past 30 years and there is no widely held consensus regarding the standard treatment selection for all patients. This challenge may result from the fact that there are no single clinical, radiographic, histological or morphological aspects that allow surgeons to accurately predict the trend of a single lesion to recur. In this research, a comprehensive review of the previously described radiographic staging systems by Enneking and Campanacci et al. and the shortfalls associated with them are provided, and then the possible risk factors of predicting local recurrence or evaluating functional outcome of GCT are also discussed. A new preoperative evaluating system of GCT may be necessary and feasible, so that surgeons may accurately assess the aggressiveness or severity of GCT in order to reliably guide treatment decisions and predict outcomes.