Clinical Features of High-Grade Extremity and Trunk Sarcomas in Patients Aged 80 Years and Older: Why Are Outcomes Inferior?

The population of many countries is aging and a significant number of elderly patients with soft-tissue sarcoma are being seen at cancer centers. The unique therapeutic and prognostic implications of treating soft-tissue sarcoma in geriatric patients warrant further consideration in order to optimize outcomes. This is a single-institution retrospective study of consecutive non-metastatic primary extremity and trunk high-grade sarcomas surgically treated between 1996 and 2012, with at least 2 years of follow-up for survivors.

A Biomechanical Comparison of 4-Strand and 5-Strand Anterior Cruciate Ligament Graft Constructs.

Hamstring tendon autografts are used for reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament. This study tested the hypothesis that a 5-strand hamstring autograft construct is superior in strength to a 4-strand construct. Four-strand and 5-strand tendon grafts constructs were prepared from ovine flexor tendons and then tested in a uniaxial electromechanical load system with suspensory fixation.

Trauma and Stem Cells: Biology and Potential Therapeutic Implications.

Trauma may cause irreversible tissue damage and loss of function despite current best practice. Healing is dependent both on the nature of the injury and the intrinsic biological capacity of those tissues for healing. Preclinical research has highlighted stem cell therapy as a potential avenue for improving outcomes for injuries with poor healing capacity.

Applying Advanced Imaging Techniques to a Murine Model of Orthotopic Osteosarcoma.

Introduction: Reliable animal models are required to evaluate novel treatments for osteosarcoma. In this study, the aim was to implement advanced imaging techniques in a murine model of orthotopic osteosarcoma to improve disease modeling and the assessment of primary and metastatic disease.

Materials And Methods: Intra-tibial injection of luciferase-tagged OPGR80 murine osteosarcoma cells was performed in Balb/c nude mice.

Outcomes of dual modular cementless femoral stems in revision hip arthroplasty.

With an increasing number of primary hip replacements being performed every year, the burden of revision hip arthroplasty, for septic and aseptic loosening, recurrent dislocation or periprosthetic fracture, is also increasing. In recent years, different approaches to revising the femoral prosthesis have emerged; including both cemented and cementless techniques. With a stable cement mantle and good bone quality, or through the use of impaction bone grafting when bone stock is lacking, it is possible to re-cement a femoral prosthesis.

Efficacy of continuously administered PEDF-derived synthetic peptides against osteosarcoma growth and metastasis.

The potent antiangiogenic pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) has shown promise against osteosarcoma, a tumour that originates in the bone and metastasises to the lungs. Neurotrophic, antiangiogenic, antiproliferative, and antimetastatic properties of PEDF have been attributed to a number of functional epitopes on the PEDF glycoprotein. StVOrth-2 (residues 78-102) and StVOrth-3 (residues 90-114) are two PEDF-derived peptides based on these functional epitopes.

Pathologic fracture of a calcaneal aneurysmal bone cyst.

A 21-year-old man presented with a pathologic fracture through the posterior aspect of the calcaneus into an aneurysmal bone cyst. The patient was treated using curettage, phenol, alcohol, and burr with open reduction and internal fixation. This is the first reported case of a pathologic fracture of an aneurysmal bone cyst of the calcaneus, highlighting the fracture potential of these lesions and the need for early management.

The molecular pathogenesis of osteosarcoma: a review.

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignancy of bone. It arises in bone during periods of rapid growth and primarily affects adolescents and young adults. The 5-year survival rate for osteosarcoma is 60%-70%, with no significant improvements in prognosis since the advent of multiagent chemotherapy.

Therapeutic targeting of osteoclast function and pathways.

Introduction: Osteoclasts are responsible for bone resorption and underlie a number of pathological states in which osteolysis is a feature. Over recent decades our molecular understanding of osteoclast differentiation and activation has expanded significantly, and this has allowed for the development of a number of osteoclast-targeted therapies.

Areas Covered: This review seeks to present the underlying molecular mechanisms of osteoclast differentiation and activity as a basis for understanding our current treatment of osteoporosis and malignant tumors in bone.

Microarray: an instrument for cancer surgeons of the future?

Microarray enables the study of thousands of genes simultaneously. While still in its infancy as a technique and with a number of barriers to be overcome, microarray is allowing scientists to thoroughly examine the molecular pathways of cancer pathogenesis. However, the adoption of microarray as a clinically applicable technique has been slow coming.

The applied biochemistry of PEDF and implications for tissue homeostasis.

Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is an endogenously produced glycoprotein with a spectrum of biological roles across diverse pathologies. Recent research has focused on the biochemical properties of PEDF and its associated receptors. This review discusses the recent developments in PEDF biochemistry and how this new knowledge will help progress our understanding of PEDF as a molecular mediator for anti-angiogenesis and -tumorigenesis.

Outcomes of total knee arthroplasty in English- versus non-English-speaking patients.

Purpose: To compare outcomes of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in English- versus non-English-speaking patients.

Methods: 193 women and 85 men (mean age, 72 years) underwent 117 left and 161 right primary TKAs. 237 and 41 patients were English and non-English speaking, respectively.

In vitro and in vivo biological activity of PEDF against a range of tumors.

Background: Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is an emerging anti-cancer agent that targets both tumor tissue and its supporting vasculature. These direct and indirect effects of PEDF have been examined in vitro and in vivo for a range of malignancies.

Objective: This review seeks to present PEDF as a potential anti-cancer agent with applications across multiple malignancies.

An interesting diagnosis for a presacral mass: case report.

A presacral mass can present a diagnostic dilemma for the surgical oncologist. Differential diagnoses include congenital causes such as teratoma or chordoma, neurological causes such as neurilemoma or neurofibroma or other malignancies such as lymphoma or sarcoma. Diagnosis usually requires imaging such as CT and MRI and tissue biopsy.

Cancer cell apoptotic pathways mediated by PEDF: prospects for therapy.

Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) has roles in antiangiogenesis and antitumourigenesis that are intimately entwined and is showing promise as a potential anticancer agent. However, the function of PEDF in the deregulated apoptotic pathways of malignant cells must first be fully characterized. Here, we review the currently known apoptotic pathways that are relevant to PEDF and cancer.