Publications by authors named "Michelle Ghert"

Objective: The objective of this study was to establish a zone of clinical equipoise for the Proximal FEmur Resection or Internal Fixation fOR Metastases (PERFORM) randomized controlled trial, which will compare resection and endoprosthetic reconstruction to internal fixation for skeletal metastases of the proximal femur.

Methods: A survey was developed, piloted, and distributed to self-declared interested stakeholders in the PERFORM trial. The survey targeted orthopedic oncologists and was designed to assess patient and bone lesion characteristics that drive surgical decision-making in the treatment of skeletal metastases in the proximal femur.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aims to establish criteria for a randomized trial (PERFORM) comparing two surgical approaches for treating skeletal metastases in the proximal femur.
  • A survey was distributed to orthopedic oncologists to gather insights on patient characteristics influencing surgical decisions, collecting data from 76 surgeons globally.
  • Findings suggest that suitable candidates for the trial have 25-75% bone loss, a life expectancy of at least 6 months, and low to moderate risk of complications, with strong interest among surgeons to participate in the study.
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Background: Oncological resection and reconstruction involving the lower extremities commonly lead to reoperations that impact patient outcomes and healthcare resources. This study aimed to develop a machine learning (ML) model to predict this reoperation risk.

Methods: This study was conducted according to TRIPOD + AI.

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Diffuse-type giant cell tumor (Dt-GCT), formerly known as pigmented villonodular synovitis, is the more aggressive entity belonging to the spectrum of benign proliferative lesions of synovial origin that may affect the joints, bursae, and tendon sheaths. Diffuse-type giant cell tumor's importance stems from its local aggressiveness and sequelae if left untreated. This review briefly describes Dt-GCT's clinical features, its imaging and pathology findings, and provides an extensive discussion of its available treatments.

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Metastatic bone lesions are often osteolytic, which causes advanced-stage cancer sufferers to experience severe pain and an increased risk of developing a pathological fracture. Gallium (Ga) ion possesses antineoplastic and anti-bone resorption properties, suggesting the potential for its local administration to impede the growth of metastatic bone lesions. This study investigated the chemotherapeutic potential, cytotoxicity, and osteogenic effects of a Ga-doped glass polyalkenoate cement (GPC) (C-TA2) compared to its non-gallium (C-TA0) counterpart.

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  • The study aimed to assess how long it takes for patients to bear full weight after using a calcium-sulfate-calcium phosphate bone substitute for filling bone voids after surgery for benign bone tumors.
  • Researchers reviewed data from 39 patients, predominantly with giant cell tumors, and found that patients could typically return to full weight-bearing within 11 weeks for upper limb lesions and 6 weeks for lower limb lesions.
  • The calcium-sulfate-calcium phosphate substitute was determined to be effective for bone reconstruction without requiring additional fixation or causing significant complications, with only a few cases of recurrence and infection reported.
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  • * The Birmingham Orthopaedic Oncology Meeting in January 2024 gathered 300 experts from over 50 countries to reach global consensus on chondrosarcoma treatment and address challenges related to periprosthetic joint infection in cancer surgeries.
  • * The meeting aimed to not only resolve current controversies but also to encourage collaboration among specialists for future research that could improve patient outcomes worldwide.
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Background: The detection of a surgical site infection (SSI) in patients with metal implants requires a high degree of clinical acumen. The inherent subjectivity of SSI diagnosis poses a challenge in the design of surgical trials because this subjectivity raises concern for outcome assessment bias. Central Adjudication Committees (CACs) are often utilized to minimize the variability in outcome assessment.

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Background: Osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma are the 2 most common primary bone sarcomas, occurring predominantly in pediatric patients, with the incidence of osteosarcoma correlating with periods of peak bone-growth velocity. Although survival outcomes have plateaued over the past several decades, ongoing treatment advances have improved function, decreased infection rates, and improved other clinical outcomes in patients with bone tumors. Recently, the Prophylactic Antibiotic Regimens in Tumor Surgery (PARITY) trial addressed the serious problem of surgical site infection (SSI) and the lack of consensus regarding the appropriate prophylactic postoperative antibiotic regimen.

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Background: The specific risk factors for surgical site infection (SSI) in orthopaedic oncology patients undergoing endoprosthetic reconstruction have not previously been evaluated in a large prospective cohort. In the current study, we aimed to define patient- and procedure-specific risk factors for SSI in patients who underwent surgical excision and endoprosthetic reconstruction for lower-extremity bone or soft-tissue tumors using the prospectively collected data of the Prophylactic Antibiotic Regimens in Tumor Surgery (PARITY) trial.

Methods: PARITY was a multicenter, blinded, randomized controlled trial with a parallel 2-arm design that aimed to determine the effect of a long duration (5 days) versus short duration (24 hours) of postoperative prophylactic antibiotics on the rate of SSI in patients undergoing surgical excision and endoprosthetic reconstruction of the femur or tibia.

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Background: Although the treatment of lower-extremity bone tumors is similar between adult and pediatric patients, differences in outcomes are unknown. Outcomes for lower-extremity oncologic reconstruction have been challenging to study because of the low incidence and heterogeneity in disease and patient characteristics. The PARITY (Prophylactic Antibiotic Regimens in Tumor Surgery) trial is the largest prospective data set assembled to date for patients with lower-extremity bone tumors and presents an opportunity to investigate differences in outcomes between these groups.

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Background: Prospective evidence supporting the use of cemented or uncemented implants in endoprosthetic reconstruction is lacking. The present study aimed to determine the effect of cemented fixation compared with uncemented fixation on the rate of all-cause reoperation at 1 year postoperatively.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of the Prophylactic Antibiotic Regimens In Tumor Surgery (PARITY) trial.

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  • * Conducted as a secondary analysis of the PARITY trial, the study examined opioid consumption patterns, revealing that about 33.6% of patients used opioids before surgery and only 6.6% after one year post-surgery.
  • * Metastatic bone disease surgery was identified as the only predictor of chronic opioid use at one year, while other factors like preoperative use and demographics showed no significant correlation.
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Background: Oncologic resection and endoprosthetic reconstruction of lower-extremity musculoskeletal tumors are complex procedures fraught with multiple modes of failure. A robust assessment of factors contributing to early reoperation in this population has not been performed in a large prospective cohort. The aim of the present study was to assess risk factors for early reoperation in patients who underwent tumor excision and endoprosthetic reconstruction, with use of data from the Prophylactic Antibiotic Regimens in Tumor Surgery (PARITY) trial.

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Chondrosarcomas are a diverse group of malignant cartilaginous matrix-producing neoplasms. Conventional chondrosarcomas are a continuum of disease based on the biologic activity of the tumor. The tumors range from the relatively biologically benign low-grade tumors or intermediate atypical cartilaginous tumors (ACTs), to malignant, aggressive high-grade tumors.

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Background: Surgical randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have potential drawbacks, leading some to question their role in filling the information gap in orthopaedic surgery. Pragmatism in study design was introduced to increase the clinical applicability of study results. The purpose of this study was to examine how pragmatism affects the scholarly influence of surgical RCTs.

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Background And Objectives: Functional outcomes are important for oncology patients undergoing lower extremity reconstruction. The objective of the current study was to describe patient reported function after surgery and identify predictors of postoperative function in musculoskeletal oncology patients undergoing lower extremity endoprosthetic reconstruction.

Methods: We performed a cohort study with functional outcome data from the recently completed (PARITY) trial.

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