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Giant‐cell tumor: A study of 195 cases
Author(s) -
Dahlin David C.,
Cupps Roger E.,
Johnson Einer W.
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(197005)25:5<1061::aid-cncr2820250509>3.0.co;2-e
Subject(s) - medicine , amputation , giant cell , giant cell tumors , radiation therapy , sarcoma , giant cell tumor of bone , surgery , osteosarcoma , surgical resection , radiology , pathology
Abstract This study of 195 patients with giant‐cell tumor reemphasizes the female predominance, the predilection for the region of the knee, and the extreme rarity of the tumor in patients with immature skeletons. One of the tumors occurred in a patient with Paget's disease of bone. There were 2 patients with 2 giant‐cell tumors each. Surgical treatment short of complete resection or amputation was followed by recurrence of benign giant‐cell tumor in 44.6% of cases. Adjunctive radiation or cautery did not decrease this rate. Primary en bloc resection or amputation was uniformly curative. Primary radiation therapy had very limited value. Sarcomas developed in 17 patients (8.7%) of the total; these lesions we have called malignant giant‐cell tumors. In 4 instances, zones of anaplastic sarcoma were found in otherwise typical giant‐cell tumors. The remaining 13 sarcomas were found in recurrent tumors, and in 11 of these, the primary treatment had included radiation. The evidence indicates that surgical removal is the best treatment and that radiation should be employed only for tumors that are unresectable because of their location.