Surgical treatment outcome of giant cell tumor of distal ulna: En bloc resection vs. curettage and bone graft

Background: Giant cell tumor (GCT) of the bone is a benign neoplasm with local aggressive behavior. Distal ulna is a very rare place for GCT. Published studies have mainly focused on case reports, and thus there is no consistent treatment strategy for this tumor at this location. This retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the oncological and functional results of 2 different surgical treatment methods for GCT in distal ulna. Methods: In this study, 9 patients with GCT of distal ulna were followed after surgical treatment of GCT of distal ulna. Of the patients, 2 had local recurrence after surgery in other hospitals and 7 had primarily been admitted to our hospital. Four patients, all with grade 2 Enneking and Campanacci’s classification, were treated by extended curettage and bone grafting, while 5 patients with grade 3 were managed by distal ulnar resection. Minimum follow-up time was 24 months. Results: Patients with grade 3 GCT of distal ulna, who had extended curettage, had a local recurrence up to one year after surgery. Local recurrence was never seen in those with grade 3 disease with resection or in those with grade 2 disease with extended curettage as the treatment of GCT in this location. Conclusion: Based on our study, which is the largest cohort of GCT of distal ulna, extended curettage, and en bloc resection can be suggested as valuable methods of treatment for grades 2 and 3 tumors, respectively.