Treatment of Periprosthetic Joint Infection After Tumor Megaprosthetic Reconstruction: A Narrative Review
Simple Summary
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Methods
3. Etiology and Risk Factors
3.1. Patient-Related Factors
3.2. Disease-And Surgery-Related Factors
3.3. Classification of PJI
4. Diagnosis of PJI
4.1. Limitations of Conventional Criteria in Tumor Settings
4.2. Practical Diagnostic Approach
- (1)
- A sinus tract communicating with the prosthesis or direct prosthesis exposure;
- (2)
- Purulent fluid aspirated from the joint or periprosthetic cavity;
- (3)
- A positive microbial culture from at least two separate tissue or fluid samples;
- (4)
- Intraoperative histopathology showing >10 neutrophils per high-power field in multiple fields, indicative of acute inflammation.
4.3. Evolving Biomarkers and Techniques
5. Microbiology and Antimicrobial Strategies
- (1)
- MSSA (Methicillin-sensitive S. aureus): Beta-lactams (e.g., cefazolin, oxacillin).
- (2)
- MRSA: Vancomycin, daptomycin, or linezolid.
- (3)
- Gram-negative bacteria: Third- or fourth-generation cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, or carbapenems, based on susceptibility.
- (4)
- Enterococci: Ampicillin or vancomycin, with consideration for synergistic aminoglycosides.
- (5)
- Fungi: Azoles (e.g., fluconazole) or amphotericin B.
6. Treatment Strategies
6.1. Irrigation and Debridement (I&D), and Debridement, Antibiotics, and Implant Retention (DAIR)
6.2. One-Stage Revision
6.3. Two-Stage Revision
6.4. Amputation
7. Discussion
7.1. Study Novelty and Clinical Implications
7.2. Limitations
7.3. Future Directions and Conclusions
8. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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| Biomarker | Sample | Principle | Advantages | Limitations in Tumor Setting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRP/ESR | Blood | Acute-phase reactants | Widely available, inexpensive | Non-specific; elevated by chemotherapy, surgery, tumor |
| Synovial fluid WBC count and %PMN | Synovial fluid | Direct measure of inflammation | High sensitivity/specificity in conventional PJIs | Cut-offs not validated for megaprostheses; sampling challenges |
| Leukocyte esterase | Synovial fluid | Detects neutrophil enzymes | Rapid, cheap, point-of-care | Only indicates inflammation, not infection etiology |
| Alpha-defensin | Synovial fluid | Antimicrobial peptide from neutrophils | High accuracy reported | Expensive; limited validation in immunocompromised hosts |
| Microbial culture | Tissue/Fluid | Gold standard for pathogen detection | Guides antibiotic therapy | Low sensitivity (biofilm); slow; prior antibiotics affect yield |
| Next-generation sequencing | Synovial fluid | Detects microbial DNA | High sensitivity, identifies unculturable pathogens | High cost; risk of contamination; unclear clinical utility thresholds |
| Treatment | Key Indications | Procedure | Reported Success Rate in Tumor Patients | Major Considerations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I&D | Acute infection, well-fixed implant, good soft tissue, with drug-sensitive pathogens | Radical debridement, without exchange of the modular components, antibiotics | 16–75% [25,38,39,40,41] | Strict patient selection is critical; high failure rate |
| DAIR | Acute infection, well-fixed implant, good soft tissue, with drug-sensitive pathogens | Radical debridement, exchange of the modular components, antibiotics | 51–78% [4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45] | Strict patient selection is critical; high failure rate |
| One-Stage revision | Chronic infection in patients unfit for two-stage, known susceptible pathogen, good soft tissue | Removal, debridement, and reimplantation in one surgery with antibiotic-loaded cement | 45–47% [18,26] | Limited evidence; higher risk of recurrence compared to two-stage. |
| Two-Stage revision | Chronic infection, gold standard | Stage 1: Removal, debridement, antibiotic spacer. Stage 2: Reimplantation after antibiotics. | 62–75% [18,25,26,30,41,42,46,47] | Highest success rate for chronic PJIs; challenges with bone defects/spacer stability; interval between stages debated (often 6–12 weeks). |
| Amputation | Uncontrollable infection, life-threatening sepsis, massive bone/soft tissue loss, failed salvage | Definitive resection | 98–100% [18,41,42,46] | Functional and psychological morbidity; last resort. |
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Wang, W.; Qiao, H.; Zhao, Z.; Yan, T. Treatment of Periprosthetic Joint Infection After Tumor Megaprosthetic Reconstruction: A Narrative Review. Cancers 2026, 18, 230. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers18020230
Wang W, Qiao H, Zhao Z, Yan T. Treatment of Periprosthetic Joint Infection After Tumor Megaprosthetic Reconstruction: A Narrative Review. Cancers. 2026; 18(2):230. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers18020230
Chicago/Turabian StyleWang, Wei, Haoran Qiao, Zhiqing Zhao, and Taiqiang Yan. 2026. "Treatment of Periprosthetic Joint Infection After Tumor Megaprosthetic Reconstruction: A Narrative Review" Cancers 18, no. 2: 230. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers18020230
APA StyleWang, W., Qiao, H., Zhao, Z., & Yan, T. (2026). Treatment of Periprosthetic Joint Infection After Tumor Megaprosthetic Reconstruction: A Narrative Review. Cancers, 18(2), 230. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers18020230

