Resumen

CARVALLO A, Pedro Ignacio. Tumores del esqueleto: 20 años de experiencia (1984-2003). Rev. venez. oncol. [online]. 2006, vol.18, n.4, pp.233-241. ISSN 0798-0582.

The experience of the Service of Soft Tissue and Bone Tumors, of the Oncology Hospital Padre Machado, Caracas, in the management of the tumors affecting the skeleton, for a period of 20 years (1984-2003), is presented. The evaluation of this experience was a retrospective revision, with an objective statistics lineal analysis, showing the spectrum of the treated pathology, and the therapeutic surgical alternatives utilized. The report shows a higher incidence of this pathology affecting the lower limbs (58.58 %), particularly around the knee joint (distal femur and proximal tibia). The most frequent type of tumor was the bone forming tumors group (20.95 %), followed by the cartilaginous tissue forming tumors group (14.79 %), giant cell tumors (9.93 %), and pseudotumoral lesions (5.85 %). Among the bone forming tumor group, called our attention the prevalence of the malignant variety (90.52 %); whereas in the cartilaginous tissue forming type, the benign options were seen more frequently (69.80 %). Looking at the performed surgeries, an important proportion had a diagnostic goal (58.41 %), although many of them allowed a therapeutic solution at the same time (resection, drainage, filling defects, etc.). Among the surgical options with a therapeutic goal, we performed a very large variety of them, proposing limb preservation when the surgical oncology principles could be respected. The importance of treating this pathology in specialized centers is underlined.

Palabras clave : Bone tumor; cancer; skeleton; oncology surgery.