Exploration of the molecular biological mechanisms and review of postoperative radiotherapy cases in tenosynovial giant cell tumors

Abstract

Tendon Sheath Giant Cell Tumor (TGCT) is a benign tumor that primarily grows within joints and bursae. However, it has a high postoperative recurrence rate, ranging from 15% to 45%. Although radiotherapy may reduce this recurrence rate, its applicability as a standard treatment is still controversial. Furthermore, the pathogenic mechanisms of TGCT are not clear, which limits the development of effective treatment methods. The unpredictable growth and high recurrence rate of TGCT adds to the challenges of disease management. Currently, our understanding of TGCT mainly depends on pathological slice analysis due to a lack of stable cell models. In this study, we first reviewed the medical records of two female TGCT patients who had undergone radiotherapy. Then, by combining bioinformatics and machine learning, we interpreted the pathogenesis of TGCT and its associations with other diseases from multiple perspectives. Based on a deep analysis of the case data, we provided empirical support for postoperative radiotherapy in TGCT patients. Additionally, our further analysis revealed the signaling pathways of differentially expressed genes in TGCT, as well as its potential associations with osteoarthritis and synovial sarcomas.

Keywords: benign tumor; bioinformatics; molecular mechanism; radiotherapy; tendon sheath giant cell tumor.