From March 1984 to April 1991, the Orthopaedics Department of the Clin
ica Universitaria de Navarra treated 47 cases of malignant bone tumors
in young children by limb-salvage surgery. Mean follow-up time was 4.
4 years. The histologic diagnoses were osteosarcoma (33 cases) and Ewi
ng's sarcoma (14 cases). All patients were treated following the Cance
r Protocol of the Clinica Universitaria de Navarra. We used allograft
reconstruction in 26 patients, autograft reconstruction in seven; and
nonbiologic material in seven other patients. Thirty-six of these pati
ents are alive currently; 11 have died. The overall survival rate was
76.6%. Three patients suffered local recurrences, and seven developed
metastatic disease. The most significant complications were infection
in four cases, and osteosynthesis anchorage detachment in eight cases.
We believe that with recent medical, surgical, and rehabilitative adv
ances, limb-salvage surgery has surpassed amputation as the primary tr
eatment for malignant bone tumors in young children.