Fatores prognósticos nas fraturas patológicas por tumores metastáticos

OBJECTIVE: Pathological fractures caused by metastases sharply decrease the quality of life and increase mortality rates for patients with malignant neoplasias. Orthopedic advances in osteosynthesis and endoprosthesis have been beneficial in the prevention and treatment of such fractures. The objective of our study was to determine which prognostic factors for pathologic fractures treated in our Service were significant. METHOD: This was a retrospective study enrolling 112 patients treated for pathologic fractures secondary to metastatic tumors between April 1994 and December 2004 in our Service. Patients were analyzed according to sex, age, bone metastasis site, visceral metastases, origin of primary tumor, treatment type, serum hemoglobin, and survival. RESULTS: The most affected site was the femur (44%), the most frequent primary tumor was breast cancer (25%); the most frequently employed surgical treatment was unconventional endoprosthesis (66%). Sex, age, primary tumor, site affected, non-bone metastasis, and clinical versus surgical treatment variables were not good predictors for survival. The only significant predictor was the type of surgery employed. Patients who received an endoprosthesis presented a worse prognosis (21.6 months) than patients undergoing osteosynthesis (47.8 months). CONCLUSION: Patients undergoing osteosynthesis, with a less morbid surgical technique and earlier rehabilitation, had longer survival times than patients who received endoprostheses. Our case series is similar to international ones, where the most frequent primary tumor is breast tumor, followed by tumors of undetermined origin, prostate, and lung tumors.OBJETIVO: As fraturas patológicas por metástase óssea determinam uma queda abrupta na qualidade de vida dos pacientes com neoplasias malignas e também aumentam sua mortalidade. Os avanços ortopédicos de osteossíntese e endopróteses têm beneficiado a prevenção e tratamento dessas fraturas. O objetivo de nosso estudo é determinar quais são os fatores prognósticos dessas fraturas patológicas tratadas no nosso serviço. CASUÍSTICA E MÉTODOS: Foram estudados 112 pacientes tratados com fraturas patológicas secundárias a tumores metastáticos entre abril de 1994 e dezembro de 2004, no nosso serviço. Os pacientes foram analisados quanto ao sexo, idade, local de metástase óssea, metástases viscerais, origem do tumor primário, tipo de tratamento, hemoglobina sérica e sobrevida. RESULTADOS: O local mais acometido foi o fêmur (44%), o tumor primário mais freqüente foi o câncer de mama (25%), o tratamento cirúrgico mais realizado foi a endoprótese não convencional (66%). As variáveis sexo, idade, tumor primário, local acometido, mestástase não-óssea e tratamento clínico versus cirúrgico não são bons preditores para sobrevida. Os pacientes operados com endoprótese (21,6 meses) apresentaram pior prognóstico que os pacientes submetidos à osteossíntese (47,8 meses). DISCUSSÃO E CONCLUSÃO: Os pacientes submetidos à osteossíntese, com uma técnica cirúrgica menos mórbida e de reabilitação mais precoce, apresentaram maior sobrevida em relação aos pacientes submetidos à endopróteses. Observamos que nossa casuística é semelhante à internacional, na qual aparece como tumor primário mais freqüente o de mama, os de origem indeterminada, próstata e pulmão

Regeneração medular: a ação do neurotrophin-3 sobre a lesão medular de ratos

OBJECTIVE: For many years, it was believed that medullary regeneration could not occur, although currently there are many trials using neurotrophic factors, stem cells, fetal medulla grafts, peripheral nerve grafts, and antibodies against myelin-associated proteins that demonstrate the existence of the possibility of spinal cord regeneration. The purpose of this study was to investigate the action of neurotrophin-3, a novel neurotrophic factor. METHODS: The New York University impactor, a standardized device for delivery of spinal cord injuries was used on 33 rats, which were divided into 2 groups: a control group receiving distilled water intraperitoneally and a treatment group receiving neurotrophin-3 intraperitoneally. RESULTS: Using the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan scale, the locomotor recovery curve for the neurotrophin-3 treated group was superior to that of the control group (P < 0.05); the administration of neurotrophin-3 was associated with the absence of deaths, while the control group showed a 28.5% (P = 0.026) mortality rate. Other parameters (hematuria rate and histological analysis) showed no significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these results, it appears that a strong relationship exists between the use of neurotrophin-3 in rats with spinal cord injury and better functional recovery.OBJETIVO: Por muitos anos acreditou-se que a regeneração medular não fosse factível. Atualmente porém, existem várias experiências utilizando fatores neurotróficos, células troncos, enxerto de medula fetal, enxerto de nervo periférico e anticorpos contra proteínas associadas a mielina que sugerem o contrário. Esta pesquisa estudou a ação de um dos mais novos neurotróficos, o Neurotrophin-3. MÉTODOS: As lesões medulares foram realizadas através do New York University impator, método experimental de produção de lesão medular padronizada. Foram utilizados 33 ratos divididos em 2 grupos. Um grupo controle com administração intraperitoneal de água destilada e um grupo tratamento, tratado com Neurotrophin-3 por via intraperitoneal. RESULTADOS: Observamos que a curva de recuperação locomotora, segundo a escala de Basso, Beattie e Bresnahan, do grupo Neurotrophin-3 foi superior à do grupo controle (p < 0,05); a administração de Neurotrophin-3 determinou ausência de mortes no grupo tratamento, enquanto o grupo controle apresentou taxa de mortalidade de 28,5% (p = 0,026). Os outros parâmetros (taxa de hematúria e análise histológica) não apresentaram diferenças estatisticamente significantes. CONCLUSÕES: Existe forte relação entre a aplicação de Neurotrophin-3 em ratos com lesão medular e melhor recuperação funcional

Interobserver agreement for the spine instability neoplastic score varies according to the experience of the evaluator

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the interobserver agreement for the Neoplastic Spine Instability Score (SINS) among spine surgeons with or without experience in vertebral metastasis treatment and physicians in other specialties. METHODS: Case descriptions were produced based on the medical records of 40 patients with vertebral metastases. The descriptions were then published online. Physicians were invited to evaluate the descriptions by answering questions according to the Neoplastic Spine Instability Score (SINS). The agreement among physicians was calculated using the kappa coefficient. RESULTS: Seventeen physicians agreed to participate: three highly experienced spine surgeons, seven less-experienced spine surgeons, three surgeons of other specialties, and four general practitioners (n = 17). The agreement for the final SINS score among all participants was fair, and it varied according to the SINS component. The agreement was substantial for the spine location only. The agreement was higher among experienced surgeons. The agreement was nearly perfect for spinal location among the spine surgeons who were highly experienced in vertebral metastases. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the experience of the evaluator has an impact on SINS scale classification. The interobserver agreement was only fair among physicians who were not spine surgeons and among spine surgeons who were not experienced in the treatment of vertebral metastases, which may limit the use of the SINS scale for the screening of unstable lesions by less-experienced evaluators

En bloc vertebrectomy for the treatment of spinal lesions. Five years of experience in a single institution: a case series

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to describe the experience of a Brazilian public university hospital regarding the treatment of metastatic or benign spine lesions with en bloc vertebrectomy of the thoracic and lumbar spines. METHODS: This study was a retrospective case series and included all medical records of patients with benign aggressive, primary malignant, or metastatic spine lesions who underwent en bloc vertebrectomy from 2010 to 2015. RESULTS: A total of 17 patients were included in the analysis. Most of them (71%) were indicated for surgery based on an oncologic resection for localized disease cure. Overall, 10 of the 17 patients (59%) underwent vertebrectomy via an isolated posterior approach using the technique described by Roy-Camille et al. and Tomita et al., while 7 patients (41%) underwent double approach surgeries. Of the 17 patients who underwent the en bloc resection, 8 are still alive and in the outpatient follow-up (47%), and almost all patients with metastatic lesions (8/9) died. The average survival time following the surgical procedure was 23.8 months. Considering the cases of metastatic lesions and the cases of localized disease (malignant or benign aggressive disease) separately, we observed an average survival time of 15 months and 47.6 months respectively. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates and reinforces the reproducibility of the en bloc vertebrectomy technique described by Tomita et al

ADVANCES IN THE USE OF STEM CELLS IN ORTHOPEDICS

ABSTRACTPrimordial cells or stem cells are multipotent undifferentiated cells with the capacity to originate any type of cell in the organism. They may have their origins in the blastocyst and thus are classified as embryonic, or tissues developed in fetuses, newborns or adults and thus are known as somatic stem cells. Bone marrow is one of the main locations for isolating primordial cells, and there are two lineages: hematopoietic and mesenchymal progenitor cells. There are several uses for these undifferentiated cells in orthopedics, going from cartilaginous lesions in osteoarthrosis, osteochondritis dissecans and patellar chondromalacia, to bone lesions like in pseudarthrosis or bone losses, or nerve lesions like in spinal cord trauma. Studying stem cells is probably the most promising field of study of all within medicine, and this is shortly going to revolutionize all medical specialties (both clinical and surgical) and thus provide solutions for diseases that today are difficult to deal with

Risk Factors Associated with Postoperative Infection in Cancer Patients Undergoing Spine Surgery

OBJECTIVES: To determine the rate of and main risk factors for postoperative infection in cancer patients who underwent spine surgery in the last 5 years in order to determine whether there is an association between postoperative infection and increased mortality during hospitalization. METHODS: All cancer patients who underwent surgical procedures between January 2015 and December 2019 at a single hospital specializing in spine cancer surgery were analyzed. The primary outcome of interest was postoperative infection. Bivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratio and 95% confidence interval for each variable in relation to the occurrence of infection. RESULTS: We evaluated 324 patients, including 176 men (54.3%) and 148 women (45.7%) with a mean age of 56 years. The incidence of postoperative infection was 20.37%. Of the 324 patients, 39 died during hospitalization (12%). CONCLUSIONS: Surgical time greater than 4 hours, surgical instrumented levels greater than 6, and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group of 3 or 4 were associated with an increased risk of postoperative infection, but these factors did not lead to an increase in mortality during hospitalization