News
British Indian Orthopaedic Society (BIOS) update Bijayendra Singh, Amit Tolat and Sunil Garg
T
he British Indian Orthopaedic Society (BIOS) recently held its 22nd Annual Conference in Cardiff. It was an online meeting with the Council and the local organisers getting together at Mercure North Cardiff. The meeting was well attended with over 800 registrants and 500 delegates watching it live throughout the day. This was streamed live via Ortho TV and there were over 3,500 viewers of the live telecast. The Presidential Lecture was delivered by Dr Nishith Shah from Ahmedabad on Knee Ligament Injuries in the paediatric age group whilst the Organisers Lecture was delivered by Dr Ashish Babhulkar from Pune on Fractures of the Proximal Humerus. The current BOA President, Mr Bob Handley and IOA President Dr B Shivashankar also presented at the meeting. Sessions on Pain Management, Specialist Rehabilitation, Trauma and
Arthroplasty was delivered by local and international faculty. The meeting received RCS accreditation with 11 CPD points. Trainees had an opportunity to present podium papers and poster abstracts which will be published in the BJJ. The industry support was well appreciated. BIOS will be presenting two revalidation sessions at the 2021 BOA Annual Congress titled ‘My joint is still painful after surgery’. These will be delivered by infection and pain specialists as well as orthopaedic Consultants. COVID-19 continued to impact our educational activities with cancellation of the 2020 conference as well as all the fellowships planned for 2020 and 2021. We replaced the lack of face-to-face
interaction with Webinars for Core Trainees on the Common Orthopaedic Problems that shadowed the curriculum and these have been received very well. We delivered lectures for medical students which were very well attended. All the videos are available on the BIOS YouTube channel – www.youtube.com/ channel/UCTL3HEGRr6E3Wllz5NLUqMQ. At present the BIOS membership stands at approximately 530 life members and plans on expanding the society’s educational goals in 2022 – it stands shoulder to shoulder with the BOA in helping to educate the current and future generation of orthopaedic surgeons. n
The British Orthopaedic Oncology Society (BOOS) update Robert Ashford and Tom Cosker
M
etastatic disease presenting to orthopaedic surgeons is on the rise and it is crucial that all orthopaedic surgeons have a sound understanding of the principles of treatment, which can be very different from standard orthopaedic trauma surgery. The British Orthopaedic Oncology Society is focusing this year on providing a greater understanding of those with metastatic disease and ensuring that all surgeons, no matter which area of practice they subspecialise in, have a sound treatment algorithm for this important patient group. Increased life expectancy (largely due to a reduction
Radiograph showing ‘vanishing bone’ seen in a mid-shaft metastatic humerus
Radiograph showing intercalary prosthesis preserving function of the shoulder above and elbow below
14 | JTO | Volume 09 | Issue 03 | September 2021 | boa.ac.uk
in mortality from common conditions such as myocardial infarction, stroke and infection) mean that patients are presenting with increased frequency from metastatic disease. We are also seeing more primary malignant bone tumours in conjunction with this increased life expectancy. Combined with this is the fact that treatment for common cancers has become exponentially more effective meaning that the survival from previously fatal cancers (particularly renal, thyroid and breast) is now much longer and often in excess of 10 years. Surgeons must avoid the common pitfalls of misdiagnosing such lesions, failing to investigate fully, not organising sufficient investigations, over-estimating the efficacy of adjuvant therapy, under-estimating survival and failing to communicate with Oncology colleagues. BOOS has worked hard to develop new guidelines for the management of metastatic disease and will be disseminating this information at Regional Specialist Study Days, the BOA Annual Congress in Aberdeen, and at Society Specific Meetings such as recent presentations by Tom Cosker at the London Shoulder Meeting and a BOOS session at the British Hip Society. All units are encouraged to ensure they have a dedicated metastatic lead in post who is supported by a regional network and a designated specialist tumour unit (in England, one of the five specialist bone tumour services). Communication is the key and all surgeons are encouraged to fully discuss, investigate and communicate such cases with colleagues so that these, traditionally under-served patients, are given the treatment that they deserve. n
