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Giant cell tumor of bone

Case contributed by Prashant Mudgal
Diagnosis almost certain

Presentation

Alcoholic lady, dancer by occupation, presented with growing swelling in the lower right thigh adjacent to the knee. The swelling was hard and tender on examination.

Patient Data

Age: 35 years
Gender: Female
ct

There is an osteolytic, expansile, partially exophytic lesion seen arising from the distal end of the right femur. The overlying cortex is thinned out and deficient in some places. There is no matrix calcification seen.

mri

There is a large, irregular, exophytic lesion seen in the distal end of right femur, the lesion is hypointense on T1 and T2 sequences, heterogeneously hyperintense on PDFS and STIR sequences. Marked peripheral enhancement is seen postcontrast along with enhancement of adjacent bone marrow.

Moderate suprapatellar effusion is seen.

Case Discussion

This is a typical case of giant cell tumor (GCT) a.k.a. osteoclastoma, and is one of the most common bone tumors, typically affecting individuals between 20 to 50 years of age. It is three times more common in men than in women with the most common location being at the distal end of the femur.

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