Metastases to bone

Bone
Other tumors of bone
Metastases to bone

Author: Nat Pernick, M.D. (see Authors page)

Revised: 18 October 2016, last major update 2005

Copyright: (c) 2003-2016, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.

PubMed search: "metastases to bone" [title]

Table of Contents

Cite this page: Metastases to bone. PathologyOutlines.com website. http://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/bonemetstobone.html. Accessed July 14th, 2017.

Definition / general

Most common malignant bone tumor is metastatic carcinoma
In adults, 80% from prostate, breast, kidney, lung or thyroid
In children, from neuroblastoma, Wilm tumor, osteosarcoma, Ewing / PNET or rhabdomyosarcoma
Intraspinal seeding may occur along Batson’s plexus of veins
Positive isotope bone scans (versus myeloma)
Sarcomatoid carcinoma: consider if patient 60+ years with spindling bone malignancy; cells usually plumper than bone sarcomas and accompanied by carcinoma; renal cell carcinoma is most common primary site
Common sites: axial skeleton, proximal femur, proximal humerus; usually marrow; very rare to be distal to elbow or knee
Solitary metastases: kidney, thyroid
Small bones of hands and feet: colon, lung, kidney
Blastic lesions: prostate, carcinoid tumor, neuroendocrine tumors

Radiology images

Images hosted on PathOut server:

Breast carcinoma - contributed by Dr. Mark R. Wick

Lung carcinoma to metatarsal - contributed by Dr. Mark R. Wick

Lung carcinoma metastasis

Prostate adenocarcinoma - contributed by Dr. Mark R. Wick

Prostate carcinoma - osteoblastic features

Thyroid carcinoma - contributed by Dr. Mark R. Wick

Thyroid carcinoma

Case reports

37 year old man with spinal cord compression (Arch Pathol Lab Med 2003;127:887)
63 year old woman with metastatic basal cell carcinoma to vertebrae in nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome (Arch Pathol Lab Med 2004;128:819)

Treatment