[Recurrence of finger tendon giant cell tumors after excision through a "shark teeth" approach. Report of 25 cases]

Retrospective Study of the Results of Surgical Treatment of 31 Giant Cell Tumors of the Tendon Sheath in the Hand

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the results of the treatment of 31 giant-cell tumors of the tendon sheath of the hand cared for between 2006 and 2015.

METHODS

A group of patients for the present retrospective evaluation was defined, covering the period between February 2006 and November 2015, in which 31 records of patients who underwent surgery due to cell tumor of the tendon sheath of the fingers were studied and evaluated. The recommended treatment was complete excision of the tumor with preservation of the adjacent structures. The diagnosis was confirmed by pathological examination. The progress of the treatment after surgery was evaluated, especially regarding the rate of tumor recurrence.

RESULTS

Taking all 31 patients into consideration, there was a predominance of the female gender and white ethnicity. Most of these patients were aged between 30 and 50 years. The most affected side was the left one, and most tumors were in the flexor face. There was a predominance of the radial fingers, along with their distal end. A total of 27 patients are being followed up at regular intervals at an outpatient clinic, and three cases of tumor recurrence have been identified.

CONCLUSION

An appropriate surgical technique is essential in order to prevent GCTTS recurrences. The results obtained in this research are in agreement with the literature.

Giant cell tumour of the flexor tendon sheath of the hand: analysis of 27 cases

Giant cell tumour of the tendon sheath (GCTTS) is a slowly progressing benign tumour arising from synovial cells of tendon sheaths. It is one of the most common soft tissue tumours in the hand. We report a retrospective study of 27 proven GCTTS of the hand. The mean length of follow-up was 4.5 years (17 months-8.5 years). Radiographic findings are useful and may prove of great diagnostic value. The positive diagnosis was provided by the pathology examination after complete excision that was performed in all patients. The recurrence was noted in two surgically managed cases. The excision should be meticulous and complete in order to avoid recurrence.

Giant cell tumour of tendon sheath of the digits. A systematic review

BACKGROUND

We reviewed the literature to evaluate the demographic, clinical and histological profile of giant cell tumour of tendon sheath of the digits (GCTTSD). The overall recurrence rate and the factors affecting tumour recurrence were also assessed.

METHODS

We searched for published articles regarding the GCTTSD in the English literature the last 30 years using the PubMed search engine. All retrieved papers were analysed and their reference lists were also screened if relevant. Clinical studies with less than five patients and follow-up less than 2 years were excluded from further evaluation. For each report, information was gathered related to trial characteristics and study population. Location and multicentricity of lesions, kind and severity of symptoms, type of applied treatment modality and histopathological features of the excised tumours were additionally recorded. A meta-analysis for estimating the pooled recurrence rate after surgical excision was also conducted. Statistical significance was assumed for p ≤0.05.

RESULTS

We found 21 studies with histological confirmation of GCTTS. However, only 10 studies including 605 patients were reviewed according to selection criteria (average follow-up 36.7 to 79 months). The male-to-female ratio was 1:1.47 (p < 0.005) and the mean age ranged from 32 to 51 years. Pain or sensory disturbances reported only in 15.7% and 4.57% of cases, respectively. A definite history of trauma recorded in 5% of lesions. The most frequent tumour location was the index finger (29.7%). In total, 14.8% of patients had tumour recurrence. Type I tumours (single lesions) were more frequently detected (78.7%) than type II tumours (two or more distinct tumours that were not joined together) (21.3%) but the latter were associated with a higher recurrence rate (p < 0.001). Study design also affected the possibility of recurrence as it was lower in prospective studies compared to retrospective studies (p = 0.003). Even though bone erosion was detected in 28.39%, recurrence was not more common in this group. In addition, recurrence was not significantly associated with a specific finger or phalanx.

CONCLUSIONS

Intrinsic biology of the tumour seems to play a more fundamental role in recurrence than tumour location or local invasiveness. More prospective well-designed studies including a large number of cases are necessary to identify tumours prone to recurrence and determine the proper treatment protocol for each individual patient.

Les tumeurs à cellules géantes des gaines synoviales de la main: à propos de 32 cas

Giant cell tumors of tendon sheath (GCTTS) represent a localised form of pigmented villonodular synovitis. They are usually found in the hand (80% of cases) where it represents the second most common tumor of the soft parts after the ganglion cyst. Its surgical treatment is sometimes difficult because of local extension and the invasion of vital digital structures. We report a retrospective study over 10 years of 32 cases of GCTTS with an average age of 35 years and a sex-ratio of 1. The reason for consultation was the presence of a digital mass, associated with an impairment of finger flexion in 43,7% of patients. A palmar localisation was found in 56,2%, especially in the fifth ray (62,5%) and at the level of the distal phalanx (68,7%). Radiological changes were observed in 4 cases. All patients were treated surgically. Macroscopically the lesion presented as an encapsulated tumor, polylobulated and yellow-brownish which invaded the skin (1 case), extended into the sheath of the flexor tendons (3 cases) and under the extensor tendon (4 cases). In the post operative follow up we noted one case of hypoaesthesia of the pulp and three cases of stiffness of the proximal interphalangeal joint. No skin necrosis was found. With a 4 year average follow up (10 months - 9 years), we noted three reccurrences (9,3%) which were all surgically managed. After analysis of the literature, the authors will describe the clinical aspects and the therapeutic difficulties of this condition.

Giant cell tumours of the tendon sheath: lack of correlation between nm23-H1 expression and recurrence

Some authors attribute recurrences of giant cell tumours to biological factors which are only expressed in some tumours. Grover et al. (1998) suggested that the risk for recurrence is associated with the down-regulation of the nm23-H1 gene. We reviewed the charts of the 154 patients operated on for giant cell tumours of the tendon sheath and selected a group of patients with recurrence (ten cases) and a group of patients who did not have a recurrence after a minimum follow-up of 3 years (13 cases). Immunohistochemical detection of nm23-H1 was performed blindly of the clinical outcome on the paraffin-embedded specimens of these patients and no correlation was found between nm23-H1 expression and the risk for recurrence.

À propos d’un cas de fibromatose desmoïde digitale

We report the case of a 20-year-old woman with a desmoid fibroma of the finger, which is an extremely rare location. Desmoid fibromas are benign but very infiltrative tumors, known for their frequent recurrences. Because of the many vascular and nervous structures concentrated in the finger, complete surgical excision is difficult.