Orthopaedic Aspects of Upper Extremity Tumors

Abstract

The PhD thesis “Orthopaedic Aspects of Upper Extremity Tumors” by Jonathan Lans, was completed with research performed at the Department of Orthopaedics at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School combined with the Department of Orthopaedics at UMC Utrecht. This thesis covers multiple aspects of orthopaedic tumors of the upper extremity. The goals of this thesis were to create an overview of specific tumor characteristics and their specific treatment, along with pre- and post-operative considerations to improve care. Based on these findings one can conclude that it is important to have appropriate referral patterns in place for treatment of upper extremity tumors to optimize oncologic and functional outcomes, along with minimizing post-operative complications. In addition, knowledge of patients’ psychosocial status can be of value to manage care. Future research should focus on evaluating the clinical impact and implementation of the findings of this thesis.