Percutaneous Radiofrequency Ablation of Appendicular Skeleton Chondroblastoma-an Experience from a Tertiary Care Cancer Center.

Purpose: To evaluate safety and long-term efficacy of radiofrequency (RF) ablation in treatment of chondroblastoma.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective analysis comprised 27 consecutive patients with histopathologically proven chondroblastoma treated by RF ablation. The tumors were located in the proximal humerus (n = 6), proximal tibia (n = 8), proximal femur (n = 6), distal femur (n = 5), acromion process (n = 1), and lunate (n = 1). In 19 patients (70.3%), the tumor was in the weight-bearing area of the bone. Clinical response was assessed by comparing pain scores and functional assessment by Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) score before and after ablation. Patients were followed for a minimum of 1 year to rule out complications and recurrence.

Results: Technical success rate was 100%. Mean pain score before the procedure was 7.34 (range, 7-9); all patients experienced a reduction in pain, with 25 (92.6%) patients reporting complete pain relief at 6 weeks. Mean MSTS score before the procedure was 15.4, whereas mean MSTS score at 6 weeks after the procedure was 28.6, suggesting significant functional improvement (P < .0001). Two patients developed osteonecrosis and collapse of the treated bone. There were no recurrences.

Conclusions: Percutaneous RF ablation is a safe and effective option for treating chondroblastoma of the appendicular skeleton.