Our Experience with Surgical Treatment of Metastases in Long Bones

Introduction: The presence of metastasis in a long bone is a distressing and painful event. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of the results of operative treatment of long bones’ secondary metastases in 51 patients was carried out. The most common primary tumors were lung (19 patients) and breast (10 patients). Long bone metastases were predominantly found in the femur (61,3% ) and in the humerus (32,2%). The patients were divided into four classes according to Capanna’s protocol. Many different surgical treatment techniques of skeletal metastases in long bones were used including arthroplasty or a combination of internal fixation with 296 Eur Surg Res 2010;45:158–307 23rd National Congress of the Italian Society of Young Surgeon (SPIGC) chemical adjuvants (phenol and polimetilmetacrilate) that provided immediate stability. Results: The mean survival rate was 8.1 months. We also noticed a significant improvement in physical activity and rehabilitation in the investigated group. Conclusion: The present study showed that the surgical treatment of long bone metastases according to Capanna’s classification system provides lessening of pain, better nursing assistance and an increase in quality of life.