Reconstruction of Intercalary Bone Defects After Tumour Resection with the Use of a Free Vascularised Fibular Graft: the Concealed Advantages of the External Fixator.

The free vascularised fibular graft represents the mainstay of intercalary bone defect reconstruction after tumour resection. Different reconstruction techniques are described, favouring internal fixation and possibly overlooking potential advantages of external fixation. This series is a description of the technique performed at our institution using an external fixator for the reconstruction of segmental bone defects which enables to maintain limb length and rotational alignment after large segmental bone resection.

NBTXR3, a first-in-class radioenhancer hafnium oxide nanoparticle, plus radiotherapy versus radiotherapy alone in patients with locally advanced soft-tissue sarcoma (Act.In.Sarc): a multicentre, phase 2-3, randomised, controlled trial.

Background: Pathological complete response to preoperative treatment in adults with soft-tissue sarcoma can be achieved in only a few patients receiving radiotherapy. This phase 2-3 trial evaluated the safety and efficacy of the hafnium oxide (HfO) nanoparticle NBTXR3 activated by radiotherapy versus radiotherapy alone as a pre-operative treatment in patients with locally advanced soft-tissue sarcoma.

Methods: Act.

PEComa of the talus: a unique case of a soft tissue tumor within bone.

Introduction: Perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (PEComa) is a family of rare mesenchymal tumors composed of histologically and immunohistochemically distinctive perivascular epithelioid cells (PECs). These tumors have been described at multiple anatomic sites. PEComas presenting in bone are especially rare and they have been reported to be either primary or metastatic lesions.

Management of periprosthetic fractures in patients treated with a megaprosthesis for malignant bone tumours around the knee.

Early and late infection as well as loosening and mechanical failure are among the postoperative complications most often reported following reconstruction with a tumour prosthesis in patients with a sarcoma around the knee. Scarce instances of periprosthetic fractures have been reported. The literature includes the description of two patients with such a complication, however no treatment recommendation was detailed in those articles.

Extra-skeletal Ewing's sarcoma in adults: presentation of two cases.

Extraosseous Ewing's sarcoma represents about 5% of the Ewing family of tumours. Two cases in adult patients are presented, emphasizing the complexity of a multi-modality treatment approach of this tumour. Clinical presentation, chemotherapeutical, surgical and radiotherapeutical approaches are discussed.

Case reports: subtrochanteric femoral stress fractures after prolonged alendronate therapy.

Background: Alendronate is known for its ability to reduce bone loss in osteoporotic and osseous metastatic conditions. Its long-term effects remain unclear although several reports describe cases of proximal femur stress fractures associated with long-term alendronate use.

Case Description: We report the cases of four women who sustained low-energy subtrochanteric or femoral shaft stress fractures while being on alendronate therapy for more than 5 years.

Chondrosarcoma of the spine: a report of three cases and literature review.

Chondrosarcomas of the spine are rare and are difficult to treat. Three cases of chondrosarcoma are presented, and a series compiling similar cases reported in the literature was established. This study shows that chondrosarcomas of the spine are generally smaller, more difficult to excise, and followed by higher local recurrence compared with chondrosarcomas in the peripheral skeleton.

Pseudo-colonic obstruction after lumbar spine surgery: a case report.

Acute colonic pseudo-obstruction (Ogilvie's syndrome) is characterised by abdominal distension and massive colonic dilatation without any mechanical cause of obstruction. The pathogenesis remains unknown but likely involves imbalance between sympathetic and parasympathetic colon innervation. This syndrome is well known in orthopaedic surgery, as trauma and orthopaedic surgery have been reported as aetiological factors.

Novel treatment strategies for soft tissue sarcoma.

Soft tissue sarcoma is a heterogeneous group of rare tumours arising predominantly from the embryonic mesoderm. While the prognosis is excellent for patients diagnosed at an early stage and treated by adequate surgery, unresectable or advanced metastatic diseases shrink the overall survival at 5 years dramatically to less than 10%. For metastatic soft tissue sarcoma, the armamentarium of effective chemotherapeutic agents is limited, especially when patients failed anthracycline- and/or ifosfamide-based chemotherapy.

[Inflammatory leiomyosarcoma: a case report].

We report an additional case of inflammatory leiomyosarcoma, arising in the shoulder of a 31-year-old male. The rare inflammatory variant of leiomyosarcoma tends to affect young adults. Histologically it is characterized by a prominent lymphohistiocytic infiltrate often masking fascicles of spindle cells, as well as the presence of clusters of xanthoma cells and psammoma bodies.