Determining functional outcomes after resection and reconstruction of primary soft tissue sarcoma in the lower extremity: A review of current subjective and objective measurement systems

The surgical management of soft-tissue sarcoma has evolved significantly over the last two decades due to the routine use of adjunct therapies, with an increased focus on postoperative functional outcome. The literature suffers from methodological inconsistency and use of low quality outcome measures to assess an already heterogeneous population. This article aims to review the most frequently used subjective and objective methods of functional outcome assessment and highlight the current benefits and limitations of these.

Early postoperative gain in activity levels of lower extremity sarcoma survivors positively affects long-term physical activity and performance

PURPOSE

Little is known about the effect of sports activity levels on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in long-term survivors of lower-extremity sarcoma.

METHODS

Eighty-three long-term survivors of bone and soft tissue sarcoma of the lower extremities with a median follow-up of 14 (range: 5-35) years completed the University of California and Los Angeles (UCLA) activity scores before tumor resection, 1 year after surgery and at the latest follow-up, as well as a Short Form 36 (SF-36) health survey at the latest follow-up. Simple linear regression models as well as stepwise variable selection with Akaike information criterion (AIC) were undertaken.

RESULTS

The preoperative UCLA activity level (median: 9, range: 2-10) dropped to a median of 4 (range: 1-10) 1 year after surgery before increasing to a score of 6 (range: 2-10) 5 years after surgery. The long-term SF-36 physical health component summary score (PCS) was 49 (SD: 9), and the mental health component summary score (MCS) was 54 (SD: 7). A linear model with stepwise variable selection identified a negative correlation of PCS with age at surgery (estimate: -0.2; p = 0.02), UCLA score at the last follow-up (estimate: 1.4; p = 0.02) and UCLA score 1 year after surgery (estimate: 1.0; p = 0.02).

CONCLUSION

As not only the final activity levels but also the status immediately after surgery affect the PCS, higher early activity levels should be a goal of modern rehabilitation after sarcoma treatment. Further studies are needed to weigh the potential postoperative risks of higher sport activity levels against the benefits described in this study.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level 4.

Defining Minimally Important Differences in Functional Outcomes in Musculoskeletal Oncology

BACKGROUND

Functional outcomes are commonly reported in studies of patients undergoing limb-salvage surgery for the treatment of musculoskeletal tumors; however, interpretation requires knowledge of the smallest amount of improvement that is important to patients: the minimally important difference (MID). We established the MIDs for the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society Rating Scale-93 (MSTS-93) and Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS) for patients with bone tumors undergoing lower-extremity endoprosthetic reconstruction.

METHODS

This study was a secondary analysis of the recently completed PARITY (Prophylactic Antibiotic Regimens in Tumor Surgery) study. We used MSTS-93 and TESS data from this trial to calculate (1) the anchor-based MIDs with use of an overall function scale and a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and (2) the distribution-based MIDs based on one-half of the standard deviation of the change scores from baseline to the 12-month follow-up and one-half the standard deviation of baseline scores.

RESULTS

Five hundred and ninety-one patients were available for analysis. The Pearson correlation coefficients for the association between changes in MSTS-93 and TESS scores and changes in the external anchor scores were 0.71 and 0.57, indicating high and moderate correlations. The anchor-based MID was 12 points for the MSTS-93 and 11 points for the TESS. Distribution-based MIDs were larger: 16 to 17 points for the MSTS-93 and 14 points for the TESS.

CONCLUSIONS

Two methods for determining MIDs for the MSTS-93 and TESS for patients undergoing lower-extremity endoprosthetic reconstruction for musculoskeletal tumors yielded quantitatively different results. We suggest the use of anchor-based MIDs, which are grounded in changes in functional status that are meaningful to patients. These thresholds can facilitate responder analyses and indicate whether significant differences following interventions are clinically important to patients.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Prognostic Level III . See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Return to Sports and Activity in Tumor Orthopaedics

INTRODUCTION

As survival rates associated with the multimodal treatment of malignant bone cancer (osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma) are satisfactory, health-related quality of life and the return to activity and sports by the affected patients have attracted increasing attention in recent years. Nowadays, limbs can be salvaged for most patients using modular endoprostheses. Such patients are typically adolescents and young adults who have high activity levels and thereby high demands for multimodal cancer treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the activity levels and sporting proficiencies that can be attained after modular endoprosthetic treatment of bone sarcomas as well as the extent to which physiotherapeutic and sports interventions influence functional outcome and activity levels.

METHODS

This non-systematic review of the literature focused on the return to activity and sports after modular endoprosthetic treatment of lower extremities bone sarcomas in adolescents and young adults. The electronic database PubMed was screened for relevant publications on this issue. A treatment algorithm for return to activity and sports in tumor orthopaedics is proposed.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The objective activity level (gait cycles per day and gait intensities) in patients treated for bone sarcomas is reduced in short- and long-term follow-ups compared with healthy controls and patients with other cancers (leukaemia). Although a negative impact is observed in terms of motor performance, it shows improvement over time. Functional assessment at 12 postoperative months is sensible as neoadjuvant chemotherapy is completed by then. In long-term follow-up, patients with bone sarcomas can achieve high sports activity levels, i.e., type of sport, frequency/week and UCLA score, after modular endoprosthetic reconstruction. The maximum level is attained at 5 years postoperatively. Nevertheless, there is a shift from high- and intermediate- to low-impact sports. Only 20% of the patients participate in school sports regularly without limitations. The localisation of bone sarcoma, but not the rate of postoperative complications, influences the postoperative activity level. Individualised sports-related interventions during and after multimodal treatment can improve the short-term activity levels; moreover, "serious games" can improve motor performance and postural control. There is no evidence that intense activity levels leads to early loosening of the endoprosthesis. There is insufficient valid data on activity and sports after modular endoprosthetic treatment of bone sarcomas of the upper extremities.

CONCLUSION

High preoperative activity levels of young patients with bone sarcomas must be considered in tumour orthopaedics. Limitations on sports activities have a significant negative impact on the quality of life and mental health of such patients. Therefore, tumour orthopaedic treatment has to focus on preserving an improvement in these factors. The overall existing evidence concerning this issue is weak. Additional studies to evaluate the ability to return to specific sports activities are desirable, as well as prospective interventional studies.

The Orthopedic-Vascular Multidisciplinary Approach Improves Patient Safety in Surgery for Musculoskeletal Tumors: A Large-Volume Center Experience

Objective: Wide-margin resection is mandatory for malignant bone and soft tissue tumors. However, this increases the complexity of resections, especially when vessels are involved. Patients in this high-risk clinical setting could be surgically treated using the multidisciplinary orthopedic-vascular approach. This study was carried out in this healthcare organization to evaluate patient safety in term of oncologic outcomes and reduction of the complication rate. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 74 patients (37 males, 37 females; mean age 46 years, range 9–88) who underwent surgical excision for bone/soft tissue malignant tumors closely attached to vascular structures from October 2015 to February 2019. Vascular surgery consisted of isolation of at least one vessel (64 patients), bypass reconstruction (9 patients), and end-to-end anastomosis (1 patient). Mean follow-up was 27 months. Patients’ demographics, tumor characteristics, adjuvant treatments, type of orthopedic and vascular procedures, and oncologic and functional outcomes and complications were recorded. Results: Overall survival was 85% at 3 years follow-up. In total, 22 patients experienced at least one major complication requiring further surgery and 13 patients experienced at least one minor complication, whereas 17 reported deviations from the normal postoperative course without the need for pharmacological or interventional treatment. Major complications were higher in pelvic resections compared to limb-salvage procedures (p = 0.0564) and when surgical time was more than 4 h (p = 0.0364) at univariate analysis, whereas the most important multivariate independent predictors for major complications were pelvic resection (p = 0.0196) and preoperative radiotherapy (p = 0.0426). Conclusions: A multidisciplinary ortho-vascular approach for resection of malignant bone and soft tissue tumors tightly attached to important vascular structures should be considered a good clinical practice for patient safety.

The Need to Improve Patient-Centered Outcome Reporting Following Lower Extremity Flap Reconstruction: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

 Research in lower extremity (LE) wound management involving flap reconstruction has primarily focused on surgeon-driven metrics. There has been a paucity in research that evaluates patient-centered outcomes (PCO). This systematic review and meta-analysis examines articles published between 2012 and 2020 to assess whether reporting of functional and quality of life (QOL) outcomes have increased in frequency and cohesiveness, compared with the previous two decades.

METHODS

 PubMed and Ovid were queried with appropriate Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms for studies published between June 2012 and July 2020. For inclusion, each study had to report any outcome of any tissue transfer procedure to the LE in comorbid patients, including complication rates, ambulation rates, flap success rates, and/or QOL measures. The PCO reporting prevalence was compared with a previous systematic review by Economides et al which analyzed papers published between 1990 and June 2012, using a Pearson's Chi-squared test.

RESULTS

 The literature search yielded 40 articles for inclusion. The proportion of studies reporting PCO was greater for literature published between 1990 and 2012 compared with literature published between 2012 and 2020 (86.0 vs. 50.0%, p < 0.001). Functional outcomes were more commonly reported between 1990 and 2012 (78.0 vs. 47.5%, p = 0.003); similarly, ambulatory status was reported more often in the previous review (70.0 vs. 40.0%, p = 0.004). This study solely examined the rate at which PCO were reported in the literature; the individual importance and effect on medical outcomes of each PCO was not evaluated.

CONCLUSION

 Less than 50% of the literature report functional outcomes in comorbid patients undergoing LE flap reconstruction. Surprisingly, PCO reporting has seen a downward trend in the past 8 years relative to the preceding two decades. Standardized inclusion of PCO in research regarding this patient population should be established, especially as health care and governmental priorities shift toward patient-centered care.

Prophylactic Antibiotic Regimens In Tumor Surgery (PARITY): a multi-center randomized controlled study comparing alternative antibiotic regimens in patients undergoing tumor resections with endoprosthetic replacements-a statistical analysis plan

BACKGROUND

Limb salvage with endoprosthetic reconstruction is the current standard practice for the surgical management of lower extremity bone tumors in skeletally mature patients and typically includes tumor resection followed by the functional limb reconstruction with modular metallic and polyethylene endoprosthetic implants. However, owing to the complexity and length of these procedures, as well as the immunocompromised nature of patients treated with chemotherapy, the risk of surgical site infection (SSI) is high. The primary research objective of the Prophylactic Antibiotic Regimens In Tumor Surgery (PARITY) trial is to assess whether a 5-day regimen of post-operative antibiotics decreases the risk of SSI at 1 year post-operatively compared to a 1-day regimen. This article describes the statistical analysis plan for the PARITY trial.

METHODS/DESIGN

The PARITY trial is an ongoing multi-center, blinded parallel two-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) of 600 participants who have been diagnosed with a primary bone tumor, a soft tissue sarcoma that has invaded the bone or oligometastatic bone disease of the femur or tibia that requires surgical resection and endoprosthetic reconstruction. This article describes the overall analysis principles, including how participants will be included in each analysis, the presentation of results, adjustments for covariates, the primary and secondary outcomes, and their respective analyses. Additionally, we will present the planned sensitivity and sub-group analyses.

DISCUSSION

Our prior work has demonstrated (1) high rates of SSI after the treatment of lower extremity tumors by surgical excision and endoprosthetic reconstruction, (2) highly varied opinion and practice among orthopedic oncologists with respect to prophylactic antibiotic regimens, (3) an absence of applicable RCT evidence, (4) extensive support from international investigators to participate in a RCT, and (5) the feasibility of conducting a definitive RCT to evaluate a 5-day regimen of post-operative antibiotics in comparison with a 1-day regimen.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01479283 . Registered on 24 November 2011.

Gait analysis: Comparative evaluation of conventional total knee replacement and modular distal femoral megaprosthesis

BACKGROUND

Gait alterations have been studied with computer-assisted gait analysis after megaprosthetic replacement for tumors around the knee. It has never been proven that megaprostheses affects gait more than total knee arthroplasty (TKA); this study aims to compare via gait analysis patients who underwent megaprosthesis with patients with TKA.

METHODS

We analyzed 26 patients with a megaprosthetic replacement of the distal femur and 21 patients with a standard TKA. For each subject computerized gait analysis was performed. Range of motion (ROM) of the knee was recorded, Quality of Life and functional evaluation in the oncologic group were assessed with the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) questionnaire, while Short Form-36 (SF-36) scores were calculated for both groups.

RESULTS

All patients walked slower than healthy people (P < 0.05). Gait analysis showed a lower cadence than in the healthy population but no significant difference between the two groups. A longer swing and a shorter stance phase were detected in the megaprosthetic sample. The osteoarthritis group showed greater flexion during the phase of loading response, even if this was lower than the contralateral limb or healthy population. There was a statically significant difference between the healthy limb and the operated one in both groups regarding ROM, but no significant difference was registered between the two implants. MSTS score and most of SF-36 parameters showed no significant differences compared with literature data.

CONCLUSIONS

Gait analysis shows little discrepancy between the two groups; gait pattern abnormalities do not affect patients with a megaprosthetic replacement more significantly than patients undergoing TKA.

Cross-Cultural Validation of the Italian Version of the Bt-DUX: A Subjective Measure of Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients Who Underwent Surgery for Lower Extremity Malignant Bone Tumour

The purpose of this study was to translate the English bone tumour DUX (Bt-DUX-Eng) questionnaire for lower extremity bone tumour patients, a disease-specific quality of life (QoL) instrument, into Italian and then examine the validity of the Italian version of Bt-DUX (Bt-DUX-It). The adaptation and translation process included forward translation, back-translation, and a review of the back-translation by an expert committee. The Bt-DUX-It was validated in a sample of adolescents treated for lower extremity osteosarcoma in Italy. Assessments included the Bt-DUX, the Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS), and the European Organization for Research and Treatment Core Quality of Life Questionnaire of Cancer Patients (EORTC QLQ-C30). Fifty-one patients with a median age of 20 years (range: 15-25) completed the questionnaires. The mean Bt-DUX score was 70 (range: 16.30-100). The internal consistency of the overall score and that of the Bt-DUX-It was good: Cronbach's α was 0.95. Spearman's correlation coefficient between the Bt-DUX (total and domain scores) and EORTC QLQ C30 and TESS were overall moderate to good, reaching a p-value <0.01 in all cases. The Bt-DUX-It version is a useful tool for measuring QoL in patients with bone tumour and has similar internal consistency, construct validity, and discrimination as those of the Dutch and English versions.

Factors associated with functional outcome in patients having limb salvage surgery for primary malignant bone sarcoma using TESS

INTRODUCTION

Achieving maximum functional outcome in primary malignant bone sarcoma surgery (PMBS) patients, is challenging for both patients and clinicians. This study, aimed to evaluate different factors that affect postoperative functional outcome of the primary malignant bone sarcoma patients following upper limb (UL) and lower limb (LL) salvage surgery using Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS).

METHODS

136 PMBS adult patients were identified and were grouped as lower limb (LL) and upper limb (UL). Each group then sub-grouped to major and minor surgeries. Their functional outcome was compared using TESS by demographic variables(gender and age), neoadjuvant/adjuvant therapy and tumour variables (anatomical sites). In the UL groups, TESS was also compared for major and minor surgery subgroups based on their dominant or non-dominant limb.

RESULTS

The result of TESS has revealed that chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and gender have no effect on the functional outcome in PMBS patients. Functional outcome however was significantly affected by age in both LL and UL groups. The TESS was significantly different between major and minor subgroups in UL group with p= 0.0001. In patients with upper LSS on their dominant limb, no significant difference between major/ minor surgery subgroups was observed with p=0.077.

CONCLUSION

Our findings using TESS revealed that factors such as patient's age, and type of surgery (major or minor) in PMBS patients will affect the patients' functional outcome after LSS especially in those PMBS patients with upper LSS.

[Effectiveness of free vascularized fibular graft for bone defect after resection of lower limb malignant tumor]

Objective

To analyze the effectiveness of free vascularized fibula grafts (FVFG) for extensive bone defects after resection of lower limb malignant bone tumors.

Methods

Between November 2015 and July 2018, 15 cases of lower limb malignant bone tumors were treated. There were 12 males and 3 females with an average age of 12.3 years (range, 9-21 years). There were 11 cases of osteosarcoma and 4 cases of Ewing's sarcoma. The tumor located at middle femur in 8 cases, lower femur in 4 cases, and middle tibia in 3 cases. The disease duration was 2-6 months (mean, 3.2 months). The tumor was completely removed, and the length of the bone defect was 8-23 cm (mean, 17.7 cm). The bone defect was repaired by FVFG, and combined inactivated tumor bone was used in 8 cases of femoral bone defect.

Results

The average operation time was 280 minutes (range, 180-390 minutes). The average blood loss was 310 mL (range, 200-480 mL). All incisions healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 2-24 months with an average of 14.5 months. Bone healing achieved in all patients at 9-18 months (mean, 12.3 months) after operation except 1 patient which was followed up only 2 months. The fibula grafts had active metabolism and the average bone metabolism score was 184 (range, 111-257) in effected side and 193 (range, 127-259) in contralateral side. There was no difference between bilateral sides. The average Enneking score was 24.6 (range, 20-30) at last follow-up. No ankle instability or paralysis of common peroneal nerve occurred.

Conclusion

FVFG appeared very efficient in repair of extensive bone defect after resection of lower limb malignant bone tumor.

miR-144 suppresses proliferation and induces apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells via direct regulation of mTOR expression

Studied as a type of tumor suppressor, microRNA (miR) performs an important role in growth and apoptosis of various human carcinomas. However, the effects of miR-l44 on osteosarcoma growth and apoptosis, as well as possible underlying mechanisms, remain unclear. The present study investigated the expression of miR-144 in osteosarcoma MG-63 and U-2 OS cell lines compared with osteoblast cells. In order to elucidate the effects of miR-144 on osteosarcoma, miR-144 was upregulated in MG-63 and U-2 OS cells by transfecting chemically synthesized miR-144 mimics. Bioinformatics analysis of potential miR-144 target genes was performed using TargetScanHuman 7.0 and confirmed by luciferase assay. This analysis identified mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) as a target of miR-144. The present results indicated that the overexpression of miR-144 may significantly inhibit proliferation and promote apoptosis of MG-63 and U-2 cells compared with scramble control. Furthermore, the effects of miR-144 on osteosarcoma were associated with the mTOR signaling pathway via directly targeting the 3' untranslated region of mTOR mRNA, resulting in a decrease in the level of mTOR protein. In summary, miR-144 was demonstrated to act as a tumor suppressor, which inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis of osteosarcoma cell lines. In addition, this effect was mediated by direct targeting on mTOR following inhibition of the mTOR signaling pathway. The present study suggested that miR-144 may be a candidate for the gene therapy of osteosarcoma.

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Chinese version of Toronto Extremity Salvage Score for patients with extremity sarcoma

Objective

As a widely used instrument for patients with extremity sarcoma, the Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS) has never been cross-culturally adapted for Chinese population. The objective of our study was to investigate the comprehensibility, reliability and validity of the Chinese version of TESS for use in patients with extremity sarcoma.

Methods

A consensus version of the Chinese TESS was developed under the review of a committee according to international guidelines. 64 patients were recruited to complete the Chinese TESS, the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) Rating Scale, and the Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (QLQ-C30). Reliability was assessed using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach’s α. Validity was assessed with Pearson’s correlation between the similar domains of the two questionnaires.

Results

The ICCs for the test–retest reliability was 0.932 for the upper extremity questionnaire and 0.893 for lower extremity questionnaire, respectively. The Cronbach’s α was 0.953 for the lower extremity questionnaire and 0.921 for the upper extremity questionnaire, respectively. Convergent validity of the TESS based on Pearson correlation coefficients indicated significantly moderate to high correlations between the TESS and the MSTS as well as the QLQ-C30, with r ranging from 0.535 to 0.782.

Conclusions

The Chinese TESS is a comprehensible, reliable, and valid instrument that can be utilized for future cross-cultural international studies of extremity sarcoma.

Prophylactic antibiotic regimens in tumour surgery (PARITY): a pilot multicentre randomised controlled trial

Objective

Clinical studies of patients with bone sarcomas have been challenged by insufficient numbers at individual centres to draw valid conclusions. Our objective was to assess the feasibility of conducting a definitive multi-centre randomised controlled trial (RCT) to determine whether a five-day regimen of post-operative antibiotics, in comparison to a 24-hour regimen, decreases surgical site infections in patients undergoing endoprosthetic reconstruction for lower extremity primary bone tumours.

Methods

We performed a pilot international multi-centre RCT. We used central randomisation to conceal treatment allocation and sham antibiotics to blind participants, surgeons, and data collectors. We determined feasibility by measuring patient enrolment, completeness of follow-up, and protocol deviations for the antibiotic regimens.

Results

We screened 96 patients and enrolled 60 participants (44 men and 16 women) across 21 sites from four countries over 24 months (mean 2.13 participants per site per year, standard deviation 2.14). One participant was lost to follow-up and one withdrew consent. Complete data were obtained for 98% of eligible patients at two weeks, 83% at six months, and 73% at one year (the remainder with partial data or pending queries). In total, 18 participants missed at least one dose of antibiotics or placebo post-operatively, but 93% of all post-operative doses were administered per protocol.

Conclusions

It is feasible to conduct a definitive multi-centre RCT of post-operative antibiotic regimens in patients with bone sarcomas, but further expansion of our collaborative network will be critical. We have demonstrated an ability to coordinate in multiple countries, enrol participants, maintain protocol adherence, and minimise losses to follow-up.

Cite this article: Bone Joint Res;4:154–162

Do patients with ewing's sarcoma continue with sports activities after limb salvage surgery of the lower extremity?

BACKGROUND

Limb salvage surgery has evolved to become the standard method of treating sarcomas of the extremities with acceptable oncologic results. However, little information exists relative to the activity level or ability to participate in sports after tumor reconstructions.

QUESTIONS/PURPOSES

The aims of the study were to answer the following questions: (1) Which sports activity levels and what types of sports can be expected in the long term after tumor reconstruction? (2) Which frequency durations are patients with Ewing's sarcoma able to perform in long-term followup after local control? (3) Do surgical complications affect sports activity level?

METHODS

Thirty patients (13 females, 17 males; mean age, 18 ± 8 years; range, 2-36 years at diagnosis; mean followup 16 ± 6 years [minimum, 5 years]) were included. Tumors were located in the pelvis, femur, tibia, and fibula. Surgical procedures included surgical resections alone (n = 8), surgical resection with biological reconstruction (n = 9), or endoprosthetic reconstruction (n = 13). We assessed UCLA sports activity levels, kinds of sports as well as the frequency per week and the duration of each training unit at long term (minimum followup, 5 years).

RESULTS

In long-term followup 83% patients (25 of 30) were performing athletic activity regularly. The hours/week of sports depended on type of surgery and were highest after resections in the pelvis and femur (5.8) and were lowest after megaprosthetic reconstruction of the pelvis (1.0). Patients undergoing biologic reconstructions were able to perform high-impact sports. UCLA sports activity levels were high after joint-preserving vascularized fibula for tibia reconstruction (7.4) and after megaprosthetic reconstruction of the lower extremity (6.3-6.4) and were low after tumors located in the fibula (4.2). Complications during followup did not significantly influence sports activity in long-term survivors.

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term survivors can achieve high levels of sports activity in many instances. Tumor sites are associated with the postoperative sports activity levels. This information can help surgeons counsel patients in terms of athletic expectations after limb salvage reconstruction for patients with Ewing's sarcoma.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III, therapeutic study. See Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Computer-assisted navigation in orthopedic surgery

Computer-assisted navigation has a role in some orthopedic procedures. It allows the surgeons to obtain real-time feedback and offers the potential to decrease intra-operative errors and optimize the surgical result. Computer-assisted navigation systems can be active or passive. Active navigation systems can either perform surgical tasks or prohibit the surgeon from moving past a predefined zone. Passive navigation systems provide intraoperative information, which is displayed on a monitor, but the surgeon is free to make any decisions he or she deems necessary. This article reviews the available types of computer-assisted navigation, summarizes the clinical applications and reviews the results of related series using navigation, and informs surgeons of the disadvantages and pitfalls of computer-assisted navigation in orthopedic surgery.

A systematic review of the recent quality of life studies in adult extremity sarcoma survivors

Background. Extremity sarcoma represents a heterogeneous group of rare cancers that carries a relatively high morbidity with regards to physical function. Quality of Life (QoL) as an outcome is an important consideration in this cohort. We aimed to identify the correlates of QoL in extremity sarcoma cohorts. Methods. A systematic review of the literature on extremity sarcoma in adults from five databases over the last ten years was undertaken. Results. Twelve articles were chosen and assessed for quality. Physical and social function of extremity sarcoma survivors is below that of the general population. Overall QoL scores of these patients are comparable to those of the general population. Studies that used more recently treated cohorts found that patients who had limb sparing surgery displayed superior functional outcomes over those that underwent amputations. Pain and perceiving that the cancer negatively influenced opportunities was associated with poor outcomes. Conclusion. The available literature regarding QoL in extremity sarcoma patients is heterogeneous in terms of aims and assessment tools. Results need to be interpreted in light of the improved management of extremity sarcoma in more recent patient cohorts.