Novel diagnosis and subsequent management of a very large Giant Cell Tumour of bone arising as a rarity in the thoracic spine

A 34-year-old male, who presented with mild upper back pain of recent onset was discovered to have a large intrathoracic mass, which was in continuity with tumour which had extensively destroyed the T5 and T6 vertebrae. Microscopy of an aspirated pleural effusion unexpectedly revealed many large mul...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology 2008-07, Vol.18 (5), p.371-375
Main Authors: Shimamura, Yoshio, Vernon-Roberts, Barrie, Kaneko, Kazuo, Arai, Yasuhisa, Muta, Tomoya, Anami, Youichi, Iwase, Hideaki
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Case Report
Medical diagnosis
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Surgical Orthopedics
Traumatic Surgery
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Summary:A 34-year-old male, who presented with mild upper back pain of recent onset was discovered to have a large intrathoracic mass, which was in continuity with tumour which had extensively destroyed the T5 and T6 vertebrae. Microscopy of an aspirated pleural effusion unexpectedly revealed many large multinucleated giant cells and the subsequent needle biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of a Giant Cell Tumour (GCT) of bone. In addition to being the first reported occasion when a GCT has been provisionally diagnosed by cytological examination of a pleural effusion, this case report also considers the unusual features and unpredictable behaviour of a tumour, which very rarely originates in the thoracic spine. The complex and prolonged surgical procedure adopted to extirpate tumour, which had permeated important mediastinal structures and to restore stability to the spinal column is outlined.
ISSN:1633-8065
1432-1068
DOI:10.1007/s00590-008-0314-9