Metastatic Bone Disease:Femur—Tibia

Abstract

Metastatic adenocarcinoma to the tibia can be a complicated problem that may be difficult to manage. However, reasonably good functional results are possible when managed with an appropriate team of cancer care professionals with a treatment algorithm tailored for each individual patient. Metastatic disease to the tibia is historically seen at later stages in the primary disease process; certainly more so than that of the proximal femur, the humerus, and the axial skeleton. Standard treatment protocols and algorithms for tibial disease are less specifically defined compared to those of the other appendicular long bones, and as such, the data are limited given short-term follow up, and the lower frequency of problems related to tibial disease. However, given improvement in medical therapy, alternative methods of stabilization, and megaprosthetic modularity, quality of life and function can be preserved with an appropriately aggressive algorithmic approach to this site of disease.