Prosthetic Bones

Reported September 2005

DALLAS (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Not long ago, bone cancer often meant amputation. Now researchers have found a little pressure can go a long way in saving a leg. A new treatment can help keep parts of the limb while allowing it to grow.

Novie Helsel keeps a close eye on her 10-tear-old son Russell, who has bone cancer. "It's hard for you to see your child go through all of that and have to be so sick going through everything," she says. "I asked her what a tumor is, and she said cancer. So I started crying, too," Russell says.

Al Mollabashy, M.D., an orthopedic oncologist with the Orthopedic Associates of Dallas says, "You can actually see where the cancer has grown into the muscles and soft tissues of the thigh." After he removed the tumor, Mollabashy thought Russell would benefit from a new kind of bone implant.

The implant, called the Compress, combines pressure with an expandable prosthesis. Dr. Mollabashy says, "He's 10, so he needs a durable construct that'll last more than 10 to 20 years. It needs to last decades if he survives this disease."

Compress' constant force helps maintain bone strength and density. Russell describes a part of his leg, "Right here is part of a metal kneecap. I still got this part of it." After he finishes chemotherapy, doctors can expand the prosthesis regularly so Russell's legs will grow at the same rate.

Novie says, "He's bounced back so quickly, that it has just amazed me." Four months after surgery, Russell is already making a splash in the pool with his reconstructed leg. Although his condition is rare, Dr. Mollabashy believes this kind of implant might someday be used in other joint replacement and trauma surgeries.

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