Limb Salvage Surgery for Bone Sarcoma - Ben Miller, MD

Thirty years ago the treatment of bone sarcoma (www.uihealthcare.org/bonecancer/) was essentially confined to amputation. Today, more than 95% of bone sarcoma cases involve limb salvage surgery. In this video, orthopedic tumor surgeon Ben Miller, MD, explains what makes limb salvage surgery possible.
For more information about limb salvage surgery and other types of bone tumors, visit www.uihealthcare.org/bonecancer or call 800-777-8442.
Please note: We made this video before the COVID-19 pandemic. UI Health Care staff follow our most current guidance to wear the appropriate personal protective equipment when seeing patients. For more information about our safety efforts, please visit uihc.org/covid-19-health-and-safety-information-our-patients.

[@lindadillon4482]

I had Ewings Carcinoma is my femur, just above the tibia bone in 1966 They persisted on amputation, but I fought and refused and asked if there was anything else that could be done. I was 17 years old. They called in another doctor and he had done a surgery that had been done few times. They removed the tumor, which was about a large as a nickel. They took bone from my pelvic hip bone and ground it up to form into the hole where the tumor was removed. I did fairly well, but it returned in 612 months and grown to the size of an egg. Again I refused amputation and the same doctor operated on me again. This time he not only removed the tumor but all the bone and tissue around it, put a plate held with bolts and screws. I'm not 71 and I had no radiation, nor chemo which wasn't a possibility back then. I owe my life to that doctor. The only side effect I had from it all, was constant nausea and rapid weight loss. I couldn't east normally for about 3 years. I forgot, after my second surgery I was having physical therapy every other day. First in a hot whirlpool, then sat on a table them packing my leg in ice and the therapist put weights on my ankle and pressed down, trying to get my leg to bend, which finally worked. At 38 I had breast cancer and have to have a "radical mastectomy". I beat it also with no radiation or chemo. I have thanked God every day since it all began when my life was just beginning at 17 years old. I wish I knew how they handle these types of cancers today.

[@thenextshenanigantownandth4393]

God bless you, hope you're doing well Cancer is a horrible disease. My mom has cancer it occurred twice and now has come back after we thought it was gone, I prey she doesn't have a tumor in her leg because I don't want her to go through this. With love xoxo all the best.

[@thenextshenanigantownandth4393]

Do you still get Nausea?

[@dawnhefling0122]

I had a bone tumor which they thought was benign until surgery. Come to find out it was chondrosarcoma grade 2. I had the curettage with bone graft. My doctor says he’d like to do a resection and knee replacement. I opted to do surveillance due to surgery not being able to completely remove the chances of it coming back. I’m 6 weeks from surgery and feeling better every day. PT is going good and I’m at 60% weight limit on operated knee and starting to limp around a little without crutches or the first time in months. Knee pain caused me to be layed up in bed for some time. Fingers crossed that it doesn’t coma back. Godbless you.

[@TheSD75]

@@dawnhefling0122 hey how are you doing?

[@yamawwad]

Thank you for the explanation, if you can upload videos related to bone curettage and grafting surgeries it will definitely be great.

[@anneyo1225]

its sounds stupid but if they replace a cadaver bone inside of you, that makes you dead inside? no puns intended btw hahahaha

[@lukasx543]

Is it a joke or a serious question?

[@ngirchoskarngirchoskar8218]

Why do you need to amputate at all, if this technology exist?

[@faolawolf8540]

Not a doctor but I'm guessing if the cancer already damaged the nerve system in the limb to apoint where the limb isn't really able to move anymore it's better to amputate then to have a arm that can't move at all.

[@lukasx543]

@@faolawolf8540 It is not amputating as some part of the bone is still remaining, in some cases where the tumor has largely extended and it is not responding to chemotherapy, amputation is necessary to prevent metastasis (being lung metastasis at greatest risk)

[@adudewithair]

Im here from Alex smith

[@user-hg8eq4jm8v]

I had this surgery.

[@TheSD75]

Hey how are you doing?

[@omshomestead]

Same here 15 times. I don’t know how one can have so many surgeries and keep surviving