Sarcoma of bone-cement membrane: a case report and review of the literature

The development of a cancerous tumour at the site of total joint replacement is a rare but virtually always fatal event. The previously unreported scenario of a patient who was found to have a malignant fibrous histocytoma at the bone-cement membrane after revision for a loose total hip prosthesis is reported. Recent biologic information evaluating the response of mesenchymal cells to metallic debris suggests that the environment surrounding a loosened prosthesis may provide conditions appropriate for the development of a sarcoma.