# Limb-salvage surgery

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/limb-salvage-term/  
OnCo record `limb-salvage-term` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Removing a bone or soft-tissue sarcoma while keeping the arm or leg, rebuilding the bone with a metal endoprosthesis or a graft.

## Summary

Rosenberg's NCI trial and the arrival of effective chemotherapy made limb salvage standard for osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma in the 1980s, with survival equal to amputation. Wide margins are still required; radiotherapy adds local control for soft-tissue sarcomas. Growing endoprostheses for children, computer-navigated resection and 3D-printed implants are current refinements; infection and mechanical failure of the prosthesis are the long-term problems.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-09-09
- Also known as: limb-salvage; limb salvage; limb-sparing surgery; endoprosthetic reconstruction

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limb-sparing_techniques
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limb-sparing_techniques

## Connected records

- technologies: [Limb salvage, amputation, and the rehabilitation that follows either](https://onco.cc/technologies/rejuv-recon-limb/), [Limb-salvage surgery and endoprosthetic reconstruction](https://onco.cc/technologies/limb-salvage-surgery/)
- terms: [Resection margins (R0 / R1 / R2)](https://onco.cc/terms/resection-margins/), [Wide local excision](https://onco.cc/terms/wide-local-excision/)
- cancers: [Osteosarcoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/osteosarcoma/), [Sarcomas (soft tissue, bone, GIST)](https://onco.cc/cancers/sarcoma/)
- fronts: [Surgery & Interventional](https://onco.cc/fronts/surgery/)
- drugs: [Tasonermin](https://onco.cc/drugs/tasonermin/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/limb-salvage-term.json