🦴 Musculoskeletal & Dermatology🟢 BasicBone Tumours

Giant Cell Tumour of Bone

A locally aggressive bone tumour of young adults, typically at the end of a long bone near a joint.

Key points

Giant cell tumour (osteoclastoma) is a bone tumour made of many large multinucleated cells, usually in young adults.
It typically arises at the end (epiphysis) of a long bone, most often around the knee, close to the joint.
On an X-ray it shows an expanding, bubbly area at the bone end, often described as a soap-bubble appearance.
It is usually benign but locally aggressive, can destroy bone, and sometimes returns after removal.
A small number behave in a malignant way and can spread to the lungs, so it is watched carefully.

Memory trick

Giant cell tumour (osteoclastoma) is many giant cells in a young adult at the end (epiphysis) of a long bone, often the knee; X-ray soap-bubble; benign but locally aggressive, may recur, rarely spreads to lung.

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🦴 Musculoskeletal & Dermatology🟢 BasicBone Tumours

Giant Cell Tumour of Bone

A locally aggressive bone tumour of young adults, typically at the end of a long bone near a joint.

Key points

Giant cell tumour (osteoclastoma) is a bone tumour made of many large multinucleated cells, usually in young adults.
It typically arises at the end (epiphysis) of a long bone, most often around the knee, close to the joint.
On an X-ray it shows an expanding, bubbly area at the bone end, often described as a soap-bubble appearance.
It is usually benign but locally aggressive, can destroy bone, and sometimes returns after removal.
A small number behave in a malignant way and can spread to the lungs, so it is watched carefully.

Memory trick

All of General Surgery More Musculoskeletal & Dermatology