Skeletal metastatic disease of the acetabulum: historical and evolving techniques for management

The skeleton is the third most common organ system to be involved in the spread of metastatic carcinomas. More options for systemic therapies, surgeries and adjuvant treatments are providing longer survival for patients with known metastatic carcinoma to the bone. This means more patients are living with metastatic skeletal disease than ever before. If metastatic disease results in enough bone loss it can cause significant pain and dysfunction for patients. The acetabulum and pelvis are common sites of metastatic disease. The complex anatomy of the bony pelvis and acetabulum, as well as its proximity to important neurovascular and pelvic structures, can make surgical management of acetabular metastatic disease technically difficult. Decision making for patients with symptomatic skeletal metastatic disease is complex, and multidisciplinary teams can be helpful in providing appropriate care for these patients. Systemic chemotherapies, immunotherapies or targeted therapies may not adequately treat large areas of metastatic disease in the hip and pelvis. Radiation therapy is not successful for all patients. Fortunately, there are evolving therapies that are giving patients and providers more options for treatment. This review article will cover some of those new therapies and their outcomes, focusing on newer ablative, minimally invasive and surgical reconstruction techniques for metastatic disease involving the acetabulum. Decision making in the management of a patient's metastatic acetabular disease is still made on a case by case basis. This review article hopefully will remind clinicians of the variety of treatments available to these patients.