Prof. Harzem Özger, MD

Prof. Harzem Özger, MD is a specialist in Orthopedic Surgery & Traumatology at Acibadem Maslak Hospital in İstanbul, where he works within the Orthopedics & Joint Center. His subspecialty is orthopedic oncology: the diagnosis and surgical management of tumors of bone and soft tissue, including sarcomas, in children and adults. He has more than 47 years of experience in medicine.

Dr. Özger graduated from İstanbul University, İstanbul Faculty of Medicine in 1979 and completed his residency in Orthopedics and Traumatology at the same faculty in 1984, with a thesis on surface replacement arthroplasty of the hip that was prepared partly in Germany. After his military and state service he returned to the department as a specialist in 1988. He then trained in bone and soft-tissue tumor surgery at the University of Vienna with Prof. Rainer Kotz, and orthopedic oncology has been the main focus of his work since he became an associate professor in 1990. He was appointed professor in 1996 and taught at İstanbul Faculty of Medicine until he retired from the university in 2016. He has been part of Acıbadem Healthcare Group since 2008.

He served as president of the 4th Turkish Musculoskeletal Tumor Society Congress in 2002 and is a member of the Turkish Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (TMTS), the International Society of Limb Salvage (ISOLS), the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS), the European Musculo-Skeletal Oncology Society (EMSOS), the Asia Pacific Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (APMSTS) and the International Skeletal Society (ISS). His research record lists 71 PubMed-indexed publications between 1984 and 2026, on subjects such as limb-salvage surgery in childhood tumors, biological reconstruction with vascularized fibular grafts and liquid nitrogen recycled bone, tumor endoprostheses around the knee, sacral chordoma and chondrosarcoma. He also took part in the international Birmingham Orthopaedic Oncology Meeting consensus reports published in 2025 and 2026.

Clinical focus

The core of Dr. Özger’s practice is orthopedic oncology, the branch of orthopedic surgery that deals with tumors of the musculoskeletal system. He evaluates and treats patients with bone tumors and soft-tissue tumors, with particular attention to sarcomas such as osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, chondrosarcoma and soft-tissue sarcomas, as well as giant cell tumor of bone, benign bone lesions, desmoid tumors, tenosynovial giant cell tumor, sacral chordoma and metastatic bone disease. Because these conditions can present in different ways and usually require input from several disciplines, assessment begins with a careful review of the patient’s history, imaging and any pathology results before treatment options are discussed.

When surgery is part of the plan, the aim, wherever it is safe, is to remove the tumor while preserving the limb. Depending on the individual case, the options he works with include wide resection, reconstruction with a tumor endoprosthesis, and biological reconstruction using a vascularized fibular graft or the patient’s own bone recycled with liquid nitrogen, as well as surgery for tumors of the pelvis and sacrum, curettage and cementation for benign aggressive bone tumors, and stabilization for metastatic bone disease. Which approach is suitable can only be decided after the tumor type, stage and location have been established, usually together with medical oncology, radiation oncology, radiology and pathology.

Dr. Özger also treats pediatric bone cysts. These benign cavities within a growing bone are sometimes discovered incidentally or after a fracture, and the approach to each child depends on the location and size of the cyst, the age of the patient and whether the bone has been weakened. In every case, the aim of the consultation is to explain the findings clearly and to outline the options that may be appropriate for that individual, including when observation rather than intervention is reasonable.

How Dr. Özger works with international patients

Dr. Özger consults in Turkish, German and English, and interpreters can be arranged for patients who speak other languages. Before a visit, the Acibadem international patient team coordinates the collection of prior reports and imaging, such as MRI, CT, X-ray or ultrasound reports, laboratory and pathology results, operative notes and discharge summaries, and arranges appointments and the hospital visit. A first consultation typically covers the patient’s history and symptoms, a review of existing imaging and previous treatments, a clinical examination and a discussion of the options that may be considered. For patients who are not yet able to travel, a video consultation can be arranged so that existing reports and imaging can be reviewed and initial questions discussed before any decision about an in-person visit is made.