Also know as limb-sparing surgery, is a procedure intended to remove a tumor while still preserving the nearby tendons, nerves and blood vessels so the patient can maintain function in the affected limb. During the procedure, the surgeon removes the tumor and affected tissue, as well as about one inch of healthy surrounding tissue. If part of a bone is removed during this time, it is replaced, often using synthetic metal rods, prostheses or pieces of bone (grafts). Soft tissue and muscle from other parts of the body are then used to close the wound. Over time, the replacement bone fuses with the original bone, making limb movement possible. Limb salvage surgery is often used in conjunction with radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Patients with primary bone cancers may require orthopedic implants, which are devices that replace or support damaged joints or bones in the body. Pins, rods, screws and plates are the most common implants. Metal rods may be used to prevent bones from breaking. Orthopedic implants are made of plastic, ceramic, stainless steel and titanium. Orthopedic implants may be used to treat joint degeneration in the hip, knee, shoulder and elbow. These implants may restore normal function by increasing mobility and reducing pain.

Surgery is required to secure the implant where it is needed. Non-surgical methods are often the first line of treatment. Implants are used when non-surgical methods, such as weight loss and physical therapy, do not work. Implants wear out after several years, so implants in younger patients may need to be replaced.

The most common treatment for adult soft tissue sarcoma is surgery to remove the affected tissue or resection it. The surgery may be recommended if the soft tissue sarcoma has recurred in the same area of if the patient has metastatic disease. Often, the surgery requires a wide excision of the tumor, meaning the tumor is removed as well as a good bit of healthy tissue all around it. If your orthopedic oncologist is able to remove the tumor and the tissue surrounding it, the patient may not need any other treatment..

This surgery is performed to remove a diseased or damaged hip joint and replace it with an artificial joint. Conditions such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and osteonecrosis, as well as bone tumors, fractures or injuries, are common causes of hip joint damage. Patients who have cancer that has spread to and damaged the hip joint may be candidates for hip replacement surgery.

A minimally invasive procedure, this is often used to treat compression fractures of the spinal vertebrae. In this process, a special balloon is inflated inside the fractured bone to expand it to its normal height. The balloon is then deflated and removed. Using image guidance, a cement like material is injected directly into the remaining space through a hollow needle. The material, considered to be as strong as bone, doesn’t injure normal bone tissue. This procedure may help to relieve pain, restore height and mobility, reduce spinal deformity and stabilize fractures in patients with vertebral compression fractures caused by their cancer spread. Among the cancers that are most likely to spread to the bones are prostate and breast cancers. Other cancers that may cause spinal vertebral fractures also include multiple myeloma and lung cancer.

This is the surgical removal of all or part of an extremity or limb. This surgical procedure may be used to remove cancerous bone tumors from the arm or leg. However, doctors typically consider other options first, such as limb-salvage surgery, which attempts to save the affected limb. Amputation for bone cancer is usually reserved for cases in which the limb world otherwise be left without good function. When amputation is used to treat cancer, the doctor removes the limb with the tumor as well as healthy tissue above it. During the surgery, a pathologist will use MRI scans to examine the tissue to help decide how much of the limb needs to be removed. Muscles and skin will be formed around the remaining bone so that an artificial limb can be used.