Surgical management of pelvic Ewing’s sarcoma in children and adolescents

Abstract

The present study describes a novel surgical strategy used to treat immature pelvic Ewing’s sarcoma (ES), one made possible owing to the intrinsic structure of the skeletally immature pelvis. A total of 12 children and adolescents with open triradiate cartilage received limb-salvage surgeries following a diagnosis of pelvic ES. In total, 3 patients with iliac lesions (2 lesions with extension into the sacrum) received surgical tumor excisions and allograft reconstructions. Another 8 patients with periacetabular lesions received trans-acetabular osteotomies and allograft reconstructions. No reconstruction was performed on 1 patient following excision of a pubic lesion. The median follow-up time was 39 months. At the time of the final follow-up appointment, 9 patients exhibited no evidence of disease, 2 patients had slow progressive pulmonary metastasis, 1 patient exhibited local recurrence of the disease and 1 patient had succumbed to the disease 24 months after surgery. Complications included issues with wound healing in 1 patient, a discrepancy in leg length in another and a screw loosening in a further patient. The patients had a mean Musculoskeletal Tumor Society score of 26 points and a mean International Society of Limb Salvage radiographic score of 90.1%. The proposed surgical strategy for children and adolescents with pelvic ES in the present study could provide a feasible solution for acetabulum salvage and local tumor control.