Pathological fracture is a rare but serious complication of radiotherapy. We report on a 44-year-old man who presented with a subtrochanteric femoral fracture 15 years after radiotherapy for a soft-tissue sarcoma in the thigh. We discuss its potential causes, a scoring system to identify high-risk patients for prophylactic intramedullary nailing of the femur, and radiographic signs to identify an impending insufficiency fracture.
CannonCPBalloMTZagarsGKMirzaANLinPPLewisVO. Complications of combined modality treatment of primary lower extremity soft-tissue sarcomas. Cancer2006;107:2455–61.
2.
AlektiarKMHongLBrennanMFDella-BianciaCSingerS. Intensity modulated radiation therapy for primary soft tissue sarcoma of the extremity: Preliminary results. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys2007;68:458–64.
3.
LiviLSantoniRPaiarFBastianiPBeltramiGCaldoraP. Late treatment-related complications in 214 patients with extremity soft-tissue sarcoma treated by surgery and postoperative radiation therapy. Am J Surg2006;191:230–4.
4.
HoltGEGriffinAMPintilieMWunderJSCattonCO'SullivanB. Fractures following radiotherapy and limb-salvage surgery for lower extremity soft-tissue sarcomas. A comparison of high-dose and low-dose radiotherapy. J Bone Joint Surg Am2005;87:315–9.
5.
LinPPSchupakKDBolandPJBrennanMFHealeyJH. Pathologic femoral fracture after periosteal excision and radiation for the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma. Cancer1998;82:2356–65.
6.
HelmstedterCSGoebelMZloteckiRScarboroughMT. Pathologic fractures after surgery and radiation for soft tissue tumors. Clin Orthop Relat Res2001;389:165–72.
7.
LinPPBolandPJHealeyJH. Treatment of femoral fractures after irradiation. Clin Orthop Relat Res1998;352:168–78.
8.
GortzakYLockwoodGAMahendraAWangYChungPWCattonCN. Prediction of pathologic fracture risk of the femur after combined modality treatment of soft tissue sarcoma of the thigh. Cancer2010;116:1553–9.
9.
O'SullivanBDavisAMTurcotteRBellRCattonCChabotP. Preoperative versus postoperative radiotherapy in soft-tissue sarcoma of the limbs: A randomised trial. Lancet2002;359:2235–41.
10.
MitchellMJLoganPM. Radiation-induced changes in bone. Radiographics1998;18:1125–36.
11.
LibshitzHIEdeikenBS. Radiotherapy changes of the pediatric hip. AJR Am J Roentgenol1981;137:585–8.
12.
KimHJHealeyJHMorrisCDBolandPJ. Site-dependent replacement or internal fixation for postradiation femur fractures after soft tissue sarcoma resection. Clin Orthop Relat Res2010;468:3035–40.
13.
HowlandWJLoefflerRKStarchmanDEJohnsonRG. Postirradiation atrophic changes of bone and related complications. Radiology1975;117:677–85.
14.
PngMAKohJSGohSKFook-ChongSHoweTS. Bisphosphonate-related femoral periosteal stress reactions: Scoring system based on radiographic and MRI findings. AJR Am J Roentgenol2012;198:869–77.
15.
PakDVinebergKAGriffithKASabolchAChughRBen-JosefE. Dose-effect relationships for femoral fractures after multimodality limb-sparing therapy of soft-tissue sarcomas of the proximal lower extremity. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys2012;83:1257–63.
16.
BlaesAHLindgrenBMulrooneyDAWillsonLChoLC. Pathologic femur fractures after limb-sparing treatment of soft-tissue sarcomas. J Cancer Surviv2010;4:399–404.