[Modified en bloc resection procedure for malignant tumor of the shoulder girdle]

En bloc resection of the shoulder girdle (Tikhoff-Linberg procedure) is a valuable limb-sparing surgical technique for bony and soft tissue malignant tumor in and around the proximal humerus and shoulder girdle. Significant amount of hand-elbow function is maintained with the procedure, and long time results in the treatment of neoplasms by this technique was found to be the same as by the method of a forequarter amputation or the shoulder disarticulation in the English literature. Four cases with malignant tumor in the shoulder girdle was treated with this modified method in our department. The average follow-up was 8 years. One case died due to another kind of tumor 6 years after operation, and other 3 cases are alive and disease free.