Objective: To discuss the treatment and outcomes for giant cell tumor (GCT) of bone.
Materials and methods: Review of the pertinent literature.
Results: GCT is a rare benign bone lesion most often found in the extremities of women in the third and fourth decades of life. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment and usually consists of intralesional curettage; local control rates range from 80% to 90% after this procedure. Patients with extensive, recurrent, and/or biologically more aggressive tumors may require wide excision. A small subset of patients with incompletely resectable GCTs or with lesions that are surgically inaccessible may be treated with moderate-dose radiotherapy (45-50 Gy) and have a 65% to 80% likelihood of being locally controlled.
Conclusion: The majority of patients with GCTs are effectively treated with intralesional curettage. Wide excision or radiotherapy is necessary to cure a relatively limited subset of patients with extensive, aggressive, and/or incompletely resectable GCTs.