- Surgery
- Radiation
- Medical Oncology
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Surgery is a very important part of treatment and is used to remove the tumor from the bone.
The type of surgery planned depends on several factors, including the age of the patient, occupation and location of tumor. - Limb-sparing surgery- Previously, amputation (removal of the limb) was the only option, but now, the treatment of choice is Limb-sparing surgery, i.e. removal of just the affected part of the bone and replacing it with either.
- Endoprosthesis – a specially designed metal fitting
- Autograft – a bone taken from another part of the body.
- Surgery if the bone cancer has spread to the lungs
- Metastasectomy – In some patients, bone cancer spreads to the lungs. In selected patients, metastasectomy may be done to remove the affected part of the lung. Recent advances in metastasectomy include keyhole surgeries like Video Assisted Thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), and robot assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS). These surgeries allow for reduced hospital stay and reduced postoperative morbidities.
If cancer affects a bone in or near a joint, the whole joint can often be replaced with an artificial one.
While limb-sparing surgery is available, depending on the extent of damage to the bone from cancer, amputation of the limb might be necessary in cases where the limb is not salvageable.
Rehabilitation usually follows limb-sparing surgery to restore functional use of the preserved limb.
