[The resection site in the treatment of giant cell bone tumors]

The authors discuss surgical procedures (resections and amputations) in a group of 35 patients with giant-cell bone tumours who were treated at the Orthopaedic Clinic in Hradec Králové. The diagnosis was established in cooperation by the orthopaedist, pathologist and roentgenologist. Resections were made in 24 patients, i.e. in 13 patients as primary operations, in 11 patients as secondary operations. The group comprised three tumours classified as malignant. After primary resection a relapse developed once, after secondary resection there were two relapses. Twenty-one patients, i.e. 87.5%, had no relapse. On account of two extensive relapses in soft tissues the affected extremity had to be amputated. One amputation was necessary on account of chronic osteomyelitis of the graft. The follow up period of the mentioned patients is between 3 and 26 years. The described investigation tested the possibility to extend indications of resection of giant-cell bone tumours also to conditions when the tumour perforates the affected skeleton and spreads to soft tissues in a favourable direction, i.e. muscles, without affecting important nerves and blood vessels.