Dr Randall on the Global Significance of the BOOM Consensus in Orthopedic Oncology

"The BOOM collaboration has created an international research platform to address these controversies; it really has become the standard-bearer for consensus building in orthopedic oncology.”

R. Lor Randall, MD, FACS, the David Linn Endowed Chair for Orthopedic Surgery, the chair of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, and a professor at UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, discussed the broader significance of the 2024 Birmingham Orthopedic Oncology Meeting (BOOM) for orthopedic oncology care.

This global consensus meeting involved 309 delegates from 53 countries working to establish standardized, evidence-based guidance for managing periprosthetic joint infections in complex reconstructions for patients with sarcoma and chondrosarcoma. The initiative included a primary meeting in Birmingham, United Kingdom, followed by a subsequent session in Cape Town, South Africa, in January 2026. Using a modified Delphi process, the international cohort reached a consensus on critical management strategies that were later published in The Bone & Joint Journal.

Randall characterized BOOM as the largest global consensus meeting in the history of the specialty, providing vital, real-world guidance in clinical areas where randomized controlled trial data are historically sparse. Beyond establishing current standards, the BOOM collaboration highlighted 2 major unmet needs within the field of orthopedic oncology. First, Randall noted that multidisciplinary teams require clearer definitions and more standardized protocols for the DAIR procedure and revision strategies. Second, he shared that there is a pressing need for higher-quality evidence to guide the use of prolonged antibiotics during staged revisions.

Randall emphasized that the BOOM collaboration has effectively created a robust international research platform designed to address these ongoing controversies. By bridging the gap between daily clinical practice and limited clinical data, the initiative has become the standard-bearer for consensus building, he said. This ensures that orthopedic oncologists worldwide have a unified framework for managing the high-stakes complications associated with complex bone and joint reconstructions, ultimately aiming to improve patient outcomes and quality of life, Randall concluded.