Survival analysis of patients with femoral metastases

Background Previous studies reported on surgical indications for patients with femoral metastases. However, few studies analyzed the spectrum of femoral metastatic presentation. We performed this study to evaluate the survival of patients with femoral metastases, and clarify the treatment of femoral impending and actual pathological fractures. Materials and Methods We retrospectively studied 110 patients with femoral metastases from various cancers treated with nailing or resection and megaprosthetic reconstruction from 1995 to 2010. The mean follow‐up was 18 months. Survival was analyzed with respect to different metastatic presentations regarding gender, type of cancer, number, and location of femoral metastases, type of surgery, and pathological fracture. Results Univariate predictors of survival were the pathological fracture and type of surgery; multivariate predictor was only the pathological fracture. Survival was significantly higher in patients with resection compared to nailing, impending compared to actual fracture, solitary metastasis and impending fracture, actual fracture treated with resection, proximal femoral actual fracture and distal femoral impending fracture treated with resection. Conclusions Patients with femoral metastases have better survival when present with impending compared to actual pathological fracture. Although with a higher rate of complications, patients with pathological fractures of the proximal and distal femur may benefit from resection. J. Surg. Oncol. 2012; 105:135–141. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.