Background: Surgical treatment is usually required for malignant foot and ankle tumors. In this study, we sought to review factors in treatment that may be associated with morbidity and mortality. Methods: All malignant foot and ankle tumors at our institution between April 1988 and April 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. The surgical modalities used and clinical outcomes of patients according to the anatomic location (Kirby zone) and clinical stage (Enneking system) of each tumor were described. Extent of surgical resection required, recurrence, and death rates were assessed. Results: Between April 1988 and April 2018, 80 patients with malignant tumors of the foot and ankle were treated at out institution. Mean age of patients was 42.6 (range, 3-89) years. Mean follow-up was 30.2 months (range, 24-120). Tumors were primary in 75 patients (94%) and metastatic from another organ in 5 patients (6%). Tumors originated from bone in 18 patients (22%) and from soft tissue in 63 patients (78%). Synovial sarcoma was the most common soft tissue tumor, and osteosarcoma was the most common osseous tumor. All patients had surgery to resect their tumor. Twenty-one (26%) had unplanned surgical procedures without initial biopsy at an outside institution prior to referral. Those patients were more likely to be treated with amputation or wide excison and free flap surgery ( P < .01). The recurrence rate was 50% for the unplanned surgery group and 22% for the planned surgery group. Mortality rate was 10% for the unplanned group and 6% for the planned group. The recurrence and mortality rate was higher in the unplanned group ( P = .03). Conclusion: Our study suggests that unplanned initial surgeries are associated with higher recurrence and mortality rates and reinforces the notion that these patients should be referred for treatment at a center with specialized expertise in tumor management. Level of Evidence: Level III, IV – retrospective case series.

External and internal hemipelvectomy are rare surgical treatment methods applied in primary malignant tumors of the pelvis, pelvic metastases, infections or severe trauma. [1,2] Bone and soft tissue tumors of the pelvis are rare and difficult to treat due to the complex anatomical structure of the region. At the time of hospital admission, the tumor size is usually large and surgical treatment is difficult due to its close relationship with neurovascular, intestinal and urogenital structures. [2] The diagnosis process starts with clinical suspicion and physical examination and, then, appropriate imaging techniques are used. After the radiological work-up, a biopsy procedure is performed to identify the histopathological diagnosis. [3] The indication for internal or external hemipelvectomy is determined depending on the tumor size, stage, location, proximity to neurovascular structures and abdominal organs. [1,2,4] Internal Objectives: This study aims to investigate the factors that may be associated with surgical site infection and mortality in pelvic resection surgeries.Patients and methods: A total of 68 patients (40 males, 28 females; mean age: 43±16.2 years; range, 11 to 70 years) who underwent internal or external hemipelvectomy between January 2010 and January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. We reviewed data concerning histopathological diagnosis, surgical technique, pelvic resection type, tumor size, postoperative infection, duration of follow-up, and mortality. Results:The mean follow-up was 45.5±42.2 months. Among 68 patients, 29 (42.6%) cases underwent external hemipelvectomy and 39 (57.4%) cases underwent internal hemipelvectomy. Reconstruction was performed in 14 (20.6%) patients who underwent internal hemipelvectomy. Of all patients, 61 had primary malignant pelvic tumors and two had metastatic pelvic tumors. Of the other five patients, two had a giant cell tumor, two had a pelvic hydatid cyst, and one had an aneurysmal bone cyst. The three most common pelvic tumors were chondrosarcoma (n=25, 36.7%), osteosarcoma (n=13, 19.1%), and Ewing sarcoma (n=8, 11.8%). Surgical site infections were observed in 34 (50.0%) patients. Of 34 patients, 15 (22.1%) had superficial infections and 19 (27.9%) had deep surgical infections. The superficial and deep infection rates were higher in the external hemipelvectomy group compared to internal hemipelvectomy (p=0.02). Patients with postoperative infection had a mean survival period of 36.0 months compared to 79.8 months in patients without infection (p=0.037). The patients treated with internal hemipelvectomy had a mean survival of 97.0 months compared to 25.7 months in patients treated with external hemipelvectomy (p<0.0001). The effect of Enneking stages of malignant pelvic tumors on survival was investigated using the Kaplan-Meier analysis. Cumulative survival decreased, as the stage progressed (p<0.0001). Conclusion:The type of surgical technique affects the possibility of postoperative infection. Postoperative infection, surgical method, and stage of the tum...