Abstract
The radiological appearance of giant cell tumors (GCT) in the developing skeleton was retrospectively assessed in 49 (10.6%) of the 462 patients with GCTs seen in consultation by the Netherlands Committee on Bone Tumors. There were 31 female and 18 male patients, all below 19 years of age. Thirty-four tumors were located in short and long tubular bones, two in the tarsus, while the others were in the pelvis, vertebral spine, and a rib. Involvement of the epiphysis in tubular bones was closely related to the age of the patient: the average age of the 3 patients with a lesion in the metaphysis was 11 years, that in the 6 patients with metadiaphyseal lesions 13 years, average age in the 10 patients with epimetaphyseal lesions 17 years, and it was also 17 years in the 17 patients with epimetadiaphyseal lesions. In tubular bones with the epiphyseal growth plates still open, the epiphysis was never involved, with the exception of two epimetadiaphyseal lesions in which closure of the growth plate was difficult to establish. Assessing GCT characteristics in this study population demonstrated that epiphyseal involvement increased with age and showed; to some extent, a predominance of female patients.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Campanacci M, Baldini N, Boriani S, Sudanese A (1987) Giant cell tumor of bone. J Bone Joint Surg [Am] 69:106
Dahlin DC (1976) Case Report 9. Skeletal Radiol 1:117–118
Dahlin DC (1984) Giant cell tumor: highlights of 407 cases (Caldwell lecture) AJR 144:955
Dahlin DC, Unni KK (1986) Bone tumors — general aspects and data on 8542 cases. Thomas, Springfield
Ewing J (1939) A review of the classifications of bone tumors. Surg Gynecol Obstet 68:971
Jaffe HL, Lichtenstein L, Portis RB (1940) Giant cell tumor of bone: its pathologic appearance, grading, supposed variants and treatment. Arch Pathol 30:993
Kaufman RA, Wakely PE, Greenfield DJ (1983) Giant cell tumor of the ossification center of the distal end of the fibula, growing into the metaphysis. Skeletal Radiol 9:218
Kransdorf MJ, Sweet DE, Buetow PC, Giudici MAJ, Moser RP (1992) Giant cell tumor in skeletally immature patients. Radiology 184:233
Mirra JM, Picci P, Gold RH (1989) Bone tumors, clinical, radiologic, and pathologic correlations. Lea & Febiger, Philadelphia, p 942
Moser RP, Kransdorf MJ, Gilkey FW, Manaster BJ (1990) Giant cell tumor of the upper extremity. Radiographics 10:83
Mulder JD, Schütte HE, Taconis WK, Kroon H (1992) Radiologic atlas of bone tumors. Elsevier, Amsterdam (in press)
Picci P, Manfrini M, Zucchi V, Gherlinzoni F, Rock M, Bertoni F, Neff JR (1983) Giant cell tumor of bone in skeletally immature patients. J Bone Joint Surg [Am] 65:486
Present D, Bertoni F, Enneking WF (1986) The correlation between the radiologic staging studies and histopathologic findings in aggressive stage 3 giant cell tumor of bone. Cancer 57:237
Rietveld LAC, Mulder JD, Brutel de la Rivière, Van Rijssel TG (1981) Giant cell tumour, metaphyseal or epiphyseal? Diagn Imaging Clin Med 50:286
Rock MG, Pritchard DJ, Unni KK (1984) Secondary malignant giant cell tumor of bone. Clinicopathological assessment of nineteen patients. J Bone Joint Surg [Am] 68:1073
Schrijver JRN (1982) Reusceltumor van het skelet. Thesis, Leiden. Pasmans, The Hague
Vanel D, Contesso G, Rebiba G, Zafrani B, Masselot J (1983) Benign giant cell tumours of bone with pulmonary metastases F and favourable diagnosis. Skeletal Radiol 10:221
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Schütte, H.E., Taconis, W.K. Giant cell tumor in children and adolescents. Skeletal Radiol. 22, 173–176 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00206148
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00206148