Tumor Growth Potential after Tumoral and Instrumental Contamination: An in Vivo Comparative Study of T-Saw, Gigli Saw and Scalpel.

In the field of spinal tumors, intralesional tumor cutting is sometimes inevitable. The purposeof this study was to compare the potential for tumor growth after intralesional cutting by T-saw, Gigli saw and scalpel.Tumorswereprepared by subcutaneous injection of human HT 1080fibrosarcoma cells innude mice, and  cut with a T-saw, Gigli saworscalpel. A 3-cm wound was created in the skin on the back of other nude mice. The tumor’scut surface was rubbed for 10 seconds against the subcutaneous tissue of these nude mice. In the same manner, theinstrumentused for tumor cuttingwasrubbed against the subcutaneous tissue of 3-cm wound in the back of nude mouse for 10 seconds. Other instruments used for tumor cutting wereimmediately washed in culture medium and the total number of tumor cells was counted. Tumor blocks and single cell suspensionsprepared from tumor tissue of the same weightwere inoculated and injected into nude mice.The incidence of tumor growth after rubbing with the tumor surfacescutwith aT-saw, Gigli saw and scalpel was 16.7,50.0and33.3% respectively. The corresponding figuresafter rubbing with a T- saw,Gigli saw and scalpel was 16.7,33.3 and 33.3% respectively.The mean number of tumor cells attached to the T-saw, Gigli saw and scalpel were 1.88, 5.02 and 4.92 X 10⁵ respectively.Finally, the incidence of tumor growthafter inoculation of tumor blocks and single cell suspensions was 100% and77.8 % respectively. These findings show that tumor recurrence after intralesional tumor cutting with a T-saw is less likely than after cutting with a Gigli saw or scalpel.