IntroductionSolid malignancies at the foot and ankle region are rare and include mainly soft-tissue sarcomas, bone sarcomas, and skin malignancies. Complete surgical resection with clear margins still remains the mainstay of therapy in these malignancies. However, attainment of negative surgical margins in patients with locally advanced tumors of the foot and ankle region may require extensive surgery and could result in loss of extremity function. In these circumstances, plastic surgical techniques can frequently reduce functional impairment and cover soft-tissue defects, particularly in cases of large tumor size or localization adjacent to critical anatomic structures, thereby improving the quality of life for these patients. The aim of this article is to illustrate the various treatment options of plastic surgery in the multimodal therapy of patients with malignant tumors of the foot and ankle region.Materials and methodsThis article is based on the review of the current literature and the evaluation of the author’s own patient database.ResultsThe local treatment of malignant extremity tumors has undergone major changes over the last few decades. Primary amputations have been increasingly replaced by limb-sparing techniques, preserving extremity function as much as possible. Although defect coverage at the foot and ankle region is demanding due to complex anatomical features and functional requirements, several plastic surgical treatment options can be implemented in the curative treatment of patients with malignant solid tumors in this area. Soft-tissue defects after tumor resection can be covered by a variety of local flaps. If local flaps are not applicable, free flap transfers, such as the anterolateral thigh flap, parascapular flap, or latissimus dorsi flap, can be utilized to cover nearly all kinds of defects in the foot and ankle region.ConclusionSoft-tissue reconstruction in the foot and ankle region is a vital component of limb-sparing surgery. It enables complete resection of locally advanced tumors and subsequent adjuvant radiotherapy. Modern plastic surgical techniques should, therefore, be integrated in the multimodal treatment concept of malignancies in the foot and ankle region.
Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) arising in the distal lower extremities pose a therapeutic challenge due to concerns of functional morbidity. The impact of surgical margins on local recurrence‑free survival (LRFS) and overall survival (OS) still remains controversial. The aim of this study was to identify prognostic indicators of survival and functional outcome in patients with STS of the distal lower extremities through a long‑term follow‑up. Between 1999 and 2014, 120 patients with STS of the foot, ankle and lower leg were treated surgically at our institution. The median follow‑up was 6.3 years. The results reveal that the 5‑year estimate of the OS rate was 80.0% [95% confidence interval (CI): 69.6‑87.1] for the entire series. Surgical margins attained at the resection of the primary tumor did not influence OS significantly [5‑year OS: R0 80.5% (69.7‑87.9) vs. R1 74.1% (28.9‑93.0); P=0.318]. Within the R0 subgroup, negative surgical margin widths ≤1 and >1 mm led to similar outcomes, as well as ≤5 and >5 mm, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, significant adverse prognostic features included male gender and age >60 years at the time point of primary diagnosis. In conclusion, the data from this study could not underscore the long‑term benefit of negative margins achieved at the resection of the primary tumor. Surgical efforts should aim at function‑sparing resections when feasible with negative margins. Here, close negative margins seem to be adequate.
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