Introduction of new diagnostic methods including various imaging techniques in the field of orthopaedic surgery has enabled us to make early and precise diagnoses of musculoskeletal tumors. In addition, recent progress in the chemotherapy and radiotherapy of malignant tumors has raised the five-year survival rate remarkably, although complete recovery from these treatments alone cannot be expected as yet. These medical advances naturally stimulate the search for ways of limb salvage even in malignant musculoskeletal oncology. To this pur pose, not only oncologists, but orthopaedic surgeons, radiologists, engineers, and biomaterials scientists should work together to design suitable surgical procedures and prostheses using autograft, allograft and biomaterials. The First International Workshop on the Design and Application of Tumor Prostheses for Bone and Joint Reconstruction was held in 1981 in Rochester, Minnesota. Participants were of an interdisciplinary nature in order to establish a basis for cooperative efforts, which have subsequently spread throughout the world. Since then, biennial inter national symposia have been held successively in Vienna, Florida, and Kyoto. Previous gatherings of this prestigious series were open only to a small number of experts.

This book gives information about the newest methods for limb salvage in musculoskeletal oncology. The contributions describe concepts of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy, hyperthermia, and biomechanical and biomaterial design for the fabrication of tumor prosthesis. Functional results in terms of limb salvage are evaluated by an internationally accepted rating system. Various modern approaches to limb salvage for malignant musculoskeletal conditions are given.

Recent advances in diagnostic technology, including imaging, gene analysis and histopathology, form one cornerstone of this update for health care specialists treating patients with musculoskeletal cancer. The other cornerstone consists of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, as well as highlights in surgical treatment and rehabilitation. The complete structure conveys a systematic understanding of musculoskeletal oncology, with sections on limb saving procedures, reconstruction methods of bone and soft tissues, tumor prosthesis and spinal reconstruction in metastatic bone tumors. All the information is placed under the encompassing goal of total care for the patient.

Bone and soft tissue sarcomas represent only about 2% of all malignancies; however, their treatment – with the goal of curing the patient while preserving the functionality of the affected body part – can, unlike other malignancies, only be successful with therapy concepts devised by interdisciplinary teams. This volume provides an extensive up-to-date overview of the specific diagnostics and current treatment standards of these rare entities, presenting the various limb-sparing modalities for patients with bone and soft tissue sarcomas with special regard to innovative reconstructive options. The evaluation of quality of life based on validated scores and the individual methods of coping with the illness through creative artistic projects are also acknowledged and integrated in the whole concept.

Where do you begin to look for a recent, authoritative article on the diagnosis or management of a particular malignancy? The few general oncology textbooks are generally out of date. Single papers in specialized journals are informative, but seldom comprehensive; these are more often preliminary reports on a very limited number of patients. Certain general journals frequently publish good in-depth reviews of cancer topics, and published symposium lectures are often the best overviews available. Unfor tunately, these reviews and supplements appear sporadically, and the reader can never be sure when a topic of special interest will be covered. Cancer Treatment and Research is a series of authoritative volumes that aim to meet this need. It is an attempt to establish a critical mass of oncology literature covering virtually all oncology topics, which is revised frequently to keep the coverage up to date, and which is easily available on a single library shelf or by a single personal subscription. We have approached the problem in the following fashion: first, by dividing the oncology literature into specific subdivisions, such as lung can cer, genitourinary cancer, pediatric oncology, etc.; and second, by asking eminent authorities in each of these areas to edit a volume on the specific topic on an annual or biannual basis. Each topic and tumor type is covered in a volume appearing frequently and predictably, discussing current diag nosis, staging, markers, all forms of treatment modalities, basic biology, and more.

Steven A. Rosenberg, MD In the past two decades significant progress has quality of life. The use of local radiation therapy has occurred, in the management of patients with mus- had a profound impact on the ability to achieve local loskeletal cancers, that has improved both the survival control. Cooperation between surgeons and radiation and the quality of life of afflicted patients. Changes in therapists often results in the tailoring of surgical p- the management of these patients have mirrored cedures to maximize the combined application of these trends in the entire field of oncology. two effective treatment modalities. Although impact on The most significant change has been improvement overall survival has not been demonstrated due to the in the surgical techniques for the resection of musculo- addition of radiation therapy, important advances in skeletal cancers based on a detailed understanding of improving the quality of life of patients receiving this the anatomic features of each particular tumor site, as combined-modality treatment have been evident. well as an appreciation of the natural biology that affects A third change impacting on the survival of patients the local spread of these tumors. The current volume of with musculoskeletal cancers has been the aggressive Musculoskeletal Cancer Surgery: Treatment of Sarcomas and resection of metastatic deposits.

This book reflects the experience of the Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute during more than 100 years of treatment of musculoskeletal tumor and tumorlike lesions. It presents a wide range of lesions from a multidisciplinary perspective, highlighting pertinent clinical, radiological, and histological correlations. Treatment is briefly reported for each entity. In addition, the more recent biomolecular findings of use for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment are carefully analyzed. The Rizzoli case archive spans more than a century, the first treated case dating back to 28 September 1900, and contains the original material – clinical charts, imaging, paraffin blocks, and histological slides – of more than 40,000 cases, including about 29,000 bone lesions and 11,000 soft tissue lesions. This book reports the most relevant entities and reflects the improvements in knowledge of musculoskeletal tumors as presented during the yearly international course held at the Rizzoli Institute.​