Limb sparing surgery for pediatric musculoskeletal tumors

There has been an unprecedented improvement in the survival outcome of children with extremity sarcoma as well as a corresponding increase in percentage of limb-sparing surgeries being performed over the past many decades. This has been, in part, due to the improved imaging modalities, newer surgical techniques, and advences in neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Limb-sparing surgery for primary bone and soft-tissue malignancies in children is becoming an acceptable option of surgical treatment in most cases today. This article outlines the demographics, classification, clinical presentation, imaging, and molecular genetics of pediatric mosculoskeletal tumors and discusses the current treatment principles with emphasis on the state-of-the-art surgical management and limb-sparing techniques for children with extremity sarcoma. (C) 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.