Management of pelvic chondrosarcoma

The partial or complete excision of the hemipelvis with sparing of the lower limb is an option of the treatment of pelvic chondrosarcoma and a therapeutic alternative of the interilio-abdominal disarticulation. The operation has in principle the same indications as the interilio-abdominal disarticulation and offers a good solution for avoiding a mutilating operation.

The 149 cases include: 120 biopsies, 29 excisional biopsies, 6 interilio-abdominal disarticulations and 14 resections – reconstruction’s, one of with prosthetic reconstruction.

The prognostic score was established by assessing: the surgical stage, the site of the tumor, the surgical margins of the tumor, the functional mobility and the postoperative activity. The wide excision of the tumor, a stable reconstruction and an efficient recovery are essential for a successful treatment of pelvic chondrosarcoma.

The limb sparing resection-reconstruction represents a highly surgical demanding procedure, followed up by complications in 60% of the cases, so that should be performed only by high skilled surgeons. Hemipelvectomy still remains a well-established life-saving surgery method for patients suffering from vast oncological extensions, where a pelvic resection is not an option.