• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.22-29
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• 1998

A limb-sparing operation has a definitive role in the treatment of osteosarcoma in the lower extremity of skeletally-immature patients. After a limb-sparing operation, leg length discrepancy remains as a major disability that should be corrected. This study was designed to suggest methods of tumor resection and proper timing of leg length equalization in skeletally immature osteosarcoma patients. From September 1990 to January 1998, we reviewed eight osteosarcoma patients in an immature skeletal age. There were 4 males and 4 females, and their mean duration of follow-up was 50.37 months (range : 25 to 88 months). Mean skeletal age was 8 years (range : 8 months to 11 years). The patients were classified according to the methods of tumor resection ; intercalary resection in 1 case, transepiphyseal resection in 1, intra-articular resection in 5, and extra-articular resection in 1. The results were as follows ; 1. The leg lengthening was begun when a patient's leg length discrepancy reached 4-5cm. 2. The age of final lengthening with permanent reconstruction was 14 years in males and 12 years in females (about 2 years before skeletal maturity). 3. When reconstruction was performed with a temporary spacer, the site of lengthening Was in the soft tissue, not in bone, and then a permanant reconstruction was done. 4. Reconstruction with a biologic spacer to preserve the joint function was a reasonable method for equalization of leg length. In conclusion, the appropriate choice of reconstructive method and the age at which to correct the leg length discrepancy in a skeletally-immature osteosarcoma patients are important factors for maintaining leg length at full maturity.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.100-104
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• 2005

Osteosarcoma is the most common tumor in malignant bone tumors. The peak age incidence in osteosarcoma is between 10 to 14 years of age. This tumor rarely develops under 6 years of age and the youngest patient in the previous literature was a 13 months old girl who had an osteosarcoma involving the second metacarpal bone. We report a case of an 8 month old male infant, who had an osteosarcoma involving the right proximal tibia. This patient was treated by wide excision with transepiphyseal resection and reconstruction with allograft. At 20 months after operation, the varus deformity was developed at the proximal junctional site of allograft. Thereafter, the revision was performed with correction of deformity and augmentation with the proximal fibula transfer. At 51 months after operation, he has been remained as free of disease, and he has recovered the knee motion ranged from 15 degree to 75 degree. The osteosarcoma in infant is very rare but it should be considered the osteosarcoma in the differential diagnosis of any bone lesion. Instead of amputation, the limb sparing operation and the solutions for limb length inequility in growing period should be carefully considered in the infantile osteosarcoma.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.157-162
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• 2008

Nowadays, most of the malignant bone tumor patient underwent limb salvage operation, however, reconstructive options for skeletally immature group are still controversial. There are three necessary conditions of most ideal reconstructive method in treating the skeletally immature children. As the epiphyseal plate sacrification is usually inevitable in malignant bone tumor around knee joint, ideal reconstructive technique would be as follows; 1)minimal or no damage to theadjacent epiphyseal plate, 2) maintaining mobile joint, 3) index procedure does not disturb subsequent operation such as lengthening. Segmental resection and reconstruction using autogenous pasteurized graft was done for 4 years old meta-diaphyseal osteosarcoma of femur. At 6 months from index operation, plain radiograph showed pasteurized bone resorption and loosening of fixation devise. To overcome the complication, we used allograft reconstruction by impacting the proximal host bone to the fluted portion of allobone. Three months later, proximal bone union was observed and patient showed good functional outcome.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 1999

A single fraction of 50 Gy extracorporeal irradiation, as a modality of limb-sparing operation, has been used to achieve tumor necrosis in osteosarcoma. Although this modality of radiation therapy preserving the mobility of a joint is commonly practiced, the precise knowledge on the radiobiological response of osteosarcoma cell has remained to be elucidated. We therefore observed whether a single high dose irradiation caused apoptosis in osteosarcoma cells and whether the commitment to apoptosis was associated with cell kinetics. We also investigated radiation dose response along the time course for development of apoptosis following single high dose irradiation. The morphologic change in apoptosis was observed by fluorescence with Hoechst 33258 and the degree and the fraction of cells by flow cytometry. Irradiation of osteosarcoma cells with 10, 30 and 50 Gy resulted in chromatin condensation and apoptotic body formation. The degree of apoptosis in osteosarcoma cells was $29.5{\pm}3.56%$, $39.9{\pm}4.83%$ at 24 and 48 hours after 10 Gy irradiation ; $41.1{\pm}3.93%$, $66.9{\pm}5.21%$ at 24 and 48 hours after 30 Gy irradiation ; and $48.0{\pm}3.69%$, $75.6{\pm}4.65%$ at 24 and 48 hours after 50 Gy irradiation. The fraction of cells in cell-cycle kinetic was $39.2{\pm}4.3%$ in G2/M, $22.1{\pm}4.65%$ in G1 at 24 hours after 10 Gy irradiation ; $51.0{\pm}4.3%$ in G2/M, $20.4{\pm}4.7%$ in G1 at 48 hours after 10 Gy irradiation ; $40.3{\pm}3.9%$ in G2/M, $26.1{\pm}4.7%$ in G1 at 24 hours after 30 Gy irradiation ; $59.2{\pm}3.9%$ in G2/M, $5.9{\pm}5.1%$ in G1 at 48 hours after 30 Gy irradiation ; and $44.3{\pm}4.2%$ in G2/M, $21.1{\pm}3.5%$ in G1 at 24 hours after 50 Gy irradiation. The fraction of cells at 48 hours after 50 Gy irradiation could not be observed because of irradiation induced cell death of most of cells. All values for irradiated cells showed accumulation in G2/M phase and reduction in G1 phase, irrespective of irradiation dose. The results suggest that a single fraction of high dose irradiation with 50 Gy results in accumulation of cells at G2/M phase, leading to apoptosis.