Outcomes of curettage and anhydrous alcohol adjuvant for low-grade chondrosarcoma of long bone

• We have used anhydrous alcohol adjuvant to treat low-grade chondrosarcomas.
• We evaluated oncological outcomes and complications of the procedure.
• No local recurrence or metastasis was observed.
• Relatively high fracture rate may be due to no use of internal fixation.
• Anhydrous alcohol is a reasonable adjuvant with easy applicability.

BackgroundLow-grade chondrosarcoma of long bones can be treated successfully with extended intralesional curettage using adjuvants. However, there is no study reporting the use of anhydrous alcohol as an adjuvant in the treatment of low-grade chondrosarcoma. We asked (1) whether intralesional curettage and anhydrous alcohol adjuvant for low-grade chondrosarcoma is associated with good oncologic outcomes; and we report (2) the complications of the procedure.MethodsThirty-six patients (13 men, 23 women) with a mean age of 46 years (range, 18–67 years) were treated for low-grade chondrosarcoma and followed up for a median of 62 months (range, 24–169 months). After intralesional curettage, and additional burring, anhydrous alcohol was used as an adjuvant therapy.ResultsAt the time of last follow-up, there were no local recurrences or distant metastases. Six patients developed complications: 4 postoperative fractures (11%), 1 intra-articular loose body (3%) and 1 postoperative joint stiffness (3%).ConclusionAnhydrous alcohol is a reasonable adjuvant for the curettage of low-grade chondrosarcoma of long bones. A long-term follow-up study is necessary, considering the slow biological progression of low-grade chondrosarcoma.