The Musculoskeletal Oncology Service, led by Doug McDonald, MD, MS, provides a multidisciplinary approach to the diagnosis and treatment of patients with benign, malignant, and metastatic diseases of the musculoskeletal system. The service treats both adult and pediatric patients and includes patients with bone or soft tissue lesions, and those with axial or extremity disease. A team approach is utilized, led by McDonald, a fellowship-trained orthopaedic oncologist who works in close cooperation with subspecialty trained radiologists, pathologists, adult and pediatric oncologists, and radiation oncologists. Together they strive for the optimum in oncologic and functional outcome for the patient.
A large regional referral area provides a substantial patient volume such that over 100 new patients with tumor or tumor-like lesions are seen every year which results in over 150 surgical procedures performed per year. Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children's Hospital are the primary in-patient centers for adult and pediatric services which are equipped with state-of-the-art technology, support staff, and rehabilitative facilities. Outpatient care is delivered through the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Outpatient Clinic as well as the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University.
A bi-weekly multidisciplinary tumor conference reviews all new cases, both prospectively and retrospectively, and provides follow-up on many other interesting cases. Resident physicians from the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery regularly rotate on the oncology service and participate in an integral fashion in all aspects of patient care from pre-operative evaluation, intraoperative surgical care, and post-operative recovery, all under adequate supervision.
Clinical research is ongoing and focuses on improving the results of surgical care, particularly as it pertains to limb salvage surgery. In addition, patients are regularly enrolled in national treatment protocols in an effort to provide for and develop optimum therapeutic plans for patients with difficult musculoskeletal malignancies.