Computer Navigation For Bone Tumor Resection

With the incidence of sarcomas of bone is rarest of tumors accounting to approximating 0.2 per cent of all cancers in the country, there’s a major lack of knowledge and awareness among the people about the condition, key symptoms which are not to be ignored and various treatments available. When one comes across the word ‘bone cancer’, the first thought that comes to mind amputation and its physiological and psychological implications on one.

The condition not only has a high mortality if not treated in time but is also associated with high morbidity in the form of loss of limb(s). Similar to other forms of cancer, clinicians at Max Healthcare are focussing on increased survival coupled with preservation of form and function. Since complete removal of cancerous bone with an extra layer of bone as safety margins is curative, surgeons usually tend to err on the side of removing more bone rather than less, to be sure of complete disease removal.

Numerous limb-preserving techniques and treatments have been introduced at Max Healthcare. One of such unique techniques used by surgeons for bone tumor resection is Computer Navigation. Computer navigation is a technology that enables the surgeon to exactly reproduce the precise surgical plan that is made preoperatively. As the MRI and CT scan images are loaded on to the software, the bone in question is registered and the instruments calibrated, in order to give real-time feedback on the placement of cutting instruments with respect to the tumor. These instruments can then cut just the amount of bone that is required to be sacrificed for disease clearance while retaining a lot of precious bone that would have been otherwise removed.

This potentially means that we can save more bone close to a joint, thereby avoiding joint replacement in a young patient. Navigation also shows the surgeon critical structures like blood vessels and nerves in the vicinity of bone (particularly in areas of pelvis and sacrum), making these major surgeries safer and more effective. Hence, computer navigation is being the next big thing in orthopedic oncology surgery, which adds safety and precision to these surgeries.

Harit Chaturvedi

Guest Author The author is Chairman, Max Institute of Cancer Care, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket.