Giant Cell Tumor (GCT) and Enneking Staging

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards focused on the classification, staging, and surgical/therapeutic management of Giant Cell Tumors of the bone.

Secondary GCT

A Giant Cell Tumor that develops at the site of a previously treated GCT.

Enneking Stage I (Latent)

A benign stage of GCT with an incidence of $10-15\%$, characteristically asymptomatic and discovered accidentally.

Enneking Stage II (Active)

A benign stage of GCT involving $70\%$ of cases; it is symptomatic and may present with pathological fractures.

Enneking Stage III (Aggressive)

A symptomatic, rapidly growing benign GCT stage with an incidence of $10-15\%$ where the cortex is perforated.

Curettage and bone grafting

A simple surgical technique for GCT associated with a high recurrence rate of approximately $30\%$.

En bloc excision

The initial procedure of choice for GCT where the tumor and $2\,\text{cm}$ of normal tissue are excised to achieve a low recurrence rate.

Curettage and acrylic bone cementation

A surgical method where the heat of polymerization destroys residual stromal and giant cells within $0.5\,\text{cm}$, resulting in a low recurrence rate.

Curettage and cryosurgery

A technique using liquid nitrogen for repetitive freezing and thawing at the curettage margin, which reduces the malignancy change rate from $15\%$ to $1.9\%$.

Turn-o-plasty technique

A reconstruction method where a portion of the proximal tibia (or femur) is split, turned upside down, and fixed to the remaining bone stump after tumor excision.

Arthrodesis (GCT reconstruction)

A procedure used to bridge an excised gap by using the fibula from both sides.

Arthroplasty (GCT reconstruction)

Reconstruction of a joint after tumor excision using an autograft, allograft, or prosthesis.

Irradiation therapy (GCT)

A treatment for inaccessible GCT lesions in the spine or pelvis using $1,500-5,000\,\text{rads}$ for $5-6$ weeks; it can induce malignant change in benign lesions.

Marginal resection with curettage

A procedure utilizing power burrs combined with irrigation of $5\%$ phenol and $70\%$ alcohol.

Distal radius reconstruction

The resection of the distal radius and subsequent use of the ipsilateral proximal fibula to reconstruct the wrist joint.