Abstract

Giant cell tumor (GCT) is a primary and benign tumor of bone, albeit locally aggressive in some cases, such as in the epi-metaphyseal region of long bones, predominantly the distal end of femur and proximal end of tibia (1). There are a variety of treatments for a bone affected by GCT, ranging from chemotherapy, radiotherapy, embolization, and cryosurgery, to surgery with the use of chemical or thermal adjuvant (2). Even with advances in new chemotropic drugs, surgery is still the most effective treatment for this kind of tumor (3). The surgery often involves defect reconstruction following tumor removal (4). The aims of treatment are removing the tumor and reconstructing the bone defect in order to decrease the risk of recurrence, and restore limb function, respectively. To achieve these goals, reconstruction is usually accompanied with PMMA bone cement infilling (4). The high heat generated during PMMA polymerization in the body can kill the remaining cancer cells, and hence the chance of recurrence decreases (5). In addition, filling the cavity with bone cement provides immediate stability, enabling patients to return to their daily activities soon (6).