Risk factors for osteonecrosis of the femoral head in brain tumor patients receiving corticosteroid after surgery

Purpose Non-traumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is a plausible complication in brain tumor patients. Frequent use of corticosteroid therapy, chemotherapy, and oxidative stress for managing brain tumors may be associated with the development of ONFH. However, there is little knowledge on the prevalence and risk factors of ONFH from brain tumor. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of ONFH in patients with primary brain tumors. Methods This retrospective cohort study included data from consecutive patients between December 2005 and August 2016 from a tertiary university hospital in South Korea. A total of 73 cases of ONFH were identified among 10,674 primary brain tumor patients. After excluding subjects (25 out of 73) with missing data, history of alcohol consumption or smoking, history of femoral bone trauma or surgery, comorbidities such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), sickle cell disease, cancer patients other than brain tumor, and previous diagnosis of contralateral ONFH, we performed a 1:2 propensity score-matched, case-control study (ONFH group, 48; control group, 96). Risk factors of ONFH in primary brain tumor were evaluated by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results The prevalence of ONFH in patients with surgical resection of primary brain tumor was 683.9 per 100,000 persons (73 of 10,674). In this cohort, 55 of 74 patients (74.3%) underwent THA for ONFH treatment. We found that diabetes was an independent factor associated with an increased risk of ONFH in primary brain tumor patients (OR = 7.201, 95% CI, 1.349-38.453, p = 0.021). There was a significant difference in univariate analysis, including panhypopituitarism (OR = 4.394, 95% CI, 1.794-11.008, p = 0.002), supratentorial location of brain tumor (OR = 2.616, 95% CI, 1.245-5.499, p = 0.011), and chemotherapy (OR = 2.867, 95% CI, 1.018-8.069, p = 0.046). Conclusions This study demonstrated that the prevalence of ONFH after surgical resection of primary brain tumor was 0.68%. Diabetes was an independent risk factor for developing ONFH, whereas corticosteroid dose was not. Routine screening for brain tumor-associated ONFH is not recommended; however, a high index of clinical suspicion in these patients at risk may allow for early intervention and preservation of the joints.