Abstract
Limb salvage surgery was performed for 27 patients with locally aggressive or malignant tumors of the extremities or limb girdles. The average follow-up time was 28 months in 5 bone sarcomas, 31 months in 2 giant cell tumors, 23 months in 5 patients that died and 20 months in 11 patients still alive after resection of soft tissue sarcoma, and 11 months in 5 metastatic bone tumors. The initial limb salvage rate was 81.5% excluding patients with metastatic bone tumor. Complications related to the therapy occurred in 50% of the patients during the early phase after surgery and 28.6% during the late phase. Additional surgical procedures were required in 26.7% of the patients in the early phase and 14.3% in the late phase. Skin problems in the early phase and infection in the late phase were the most frequent complications. Only one patient required amputation for infection occurring in the early phase. Local control was unsuccessful in 14.8% of patients. Distant relapse was observed in 19% of the patients except for one patient with stage III B soft tissue sarcoma and 5 patients with metastatic bone tumor. Eighteen patients have survived without sign of the disease.
