Alcohol-inactivated autograft replantation with joint preservation in the management of osteosarcoma of the distal femur: a preliminary study.

Aim: To evaluate clinical outcomes in patients who underwent alcohol-inactivated autograft replantation with joint preservation for the treatment of osteosarcoma of the distal femur.

Patients And Methods: 10 patients (7 men, 3 women; mean age: 20.1 years) were treated. 9 patients had Enneking stage IIb tumors and 1 patient had stage III. The mean follow-up time was 34 months. All patients obtained first-stage healing.

Results: 1 patient died of local recurrence and multiple metastases 13 months after surgery; 3 patients died of multiple metastases 9, 12, and 24 months after surgery, respectively. 3 patients required second surgery because of fracture of the inactivated autograft, 1 patient died 6 months later, 1 patient experienced bony healing 4 months later with no further complications, and 1 patient required subsequent open reduction and bone implantation with internal fixation (bony healing was evident 6 months later; however, joint instability and limited knee flexion were apparent). At final follow-up, the mean International Society of Limb Salvage (ISOLS) graft score was 31 (87%), whereas the mean Musculoskeletal Tumour Society (MSTS) function score was 23 (77%).

Conclusions: These preliminary findings indicate that alcohol-inactivated autograft replantation with joint preservation may be effective in treating osteosarcoma of the distal femur in some patients. Larger-scale studies are needed to fully evaluate the efficacy/safety of this approach.