OBJECTIVETo discuss clinical effects of surgical treatment for desmoplastic fibroma of bone.

METHODSBetween June 2000 and June 2010, 15 cases of desmoplastic fibroma were treated by surgical operation including 4 males and 7 females with an average age of 39 years old (ranged from 18 to 64 years old). The site of tumor was proximal femur in 4 cases, distal femur in 3, distal tibia in 2, proximal humerus in 1, distal humerus in 1, scapula in 1, pelvic in 2, manubrium of sternum in 1. The simple intralesional curettage was performed in 1 case. The other 14 cases were divided into two groups, 7 cases had an aggressive curettage with inactivation and the last 7 cases had a wide resection. Recurrence condition were observed after operation. The function was valuated in two groups after the operation according to Enneking's standard.

RESULTSThe mean duration of follow-up was 56 months (ranged, 18 to 132 months). Two cases recurred, but no metastasis. The patient with simple intralesional curettage recurreed, 1 of the 7 patients with a wide resection recurred. The recurrence rate was 13.3% (2/15). There was no recurrence in the group with an aggressive curettage with inactivation. According to Enneking's standard, Enneking scoring was 21.6 +/- 3.8 in the group with a wide resection and 28.3 +/- 1.3 in another group, The results were excellent in 2 cases and good in 5 in the group with a wide resection, excellent in 7 in the other group.

CONCLUSIONThe aggressive curettage with inactivation has better functional recovery than the wide resection,and it should be chosen when the lesion is small or located in an area where reconstruction is difficult.