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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Denosumab is recommended for advanced giant cell tumor of bone (GCTB) that is unresectable or resectable with unacceptable morbidity. But the effect of preoperative denosumab treatment on the local control GCTB remains controversial. METHODS We conducted a study of 49 patients with GCTB in the limbs treated with denosumab before surgery and 125 patients without in our hospital from 2010 to 2017. Propensity-score matching (PSM) at a 1:1 ratio between the denosumab and control groups was performed to minimize possible selection bias, and compared the recurrence rate, limb function, and surgical degradation between the two groups. RESULTS The 3-year recurrence rates in the denosumab group and the control group were 20.4% and 22.9% after PSM, respectively (p = 0.702). In the denosumab group, 75.5% (n = 37/49) of patients experienced surgical downgrading. Limb joint preservation rates were 92.1% (35) for 38 patients treated with denosumab and 60.2% (71) for 118 control subjects. (p ≺ 0.001). Postoperative MSTS were higher in patients in the denosumab group than in the control group (24.1 vs. 22.6, p = 0.034). CONCLUSIONS Preoperative denosumab treatment did not result in an increased risk of local recurrence of GCTB. Patients with advanced GCTB may benefit from preoperative denosumab treatment for surgical downgrading and the preservation of the joint.