Cat-scratch disease mimicking soft tissue sarcoma in a pediatric patient

Diego Castro, MD; Pablo Stoppiello, MD; Nicolas Casales, MD; Ana C. Belzarena, MD, MPH, MBA; Claudio Silveri, MD

doi:10.1016/j.radcr.2025.01.071

Radiology Case Reports (May 2025)

Cat-scratch disease mimicking soft tissue sarcoma in a pediatric patient

Diego Castro, MD,
Pablo Stoppiello, MD,
Nicolas Casales, MD,
Ana C. Belzarena, MD, MPH, MBA,
Claudio Silveri, MD

Affiliations

Diego Castro, MD: Musculoskeletal Oncology Pathology Unit, Traumatology and Orthopedics Clinic of UdelaR at the National Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Montevideo, Uruguay
Pablo Stoppiello, MD: Musculoskeletal Oncology Pathology Unit, Traumatology and Orthopedics Clinic of UdelaR at the National Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Montevideo, Uruguay
Nicolas Casales, MD: Musculoskeletal Oncology Pathology Unit, Traumatology and Orthopedics Clinic of UdelaR at the National Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Montevideo, Uruguay
Ana C. Belzarena, MD, MPH, MBA: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
Claudio Silveri, MD: Musculoskeletal Oncology Pathology Unit, Traumatology and Orthopedics Clinic of UdelaR at the National Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Montevideo, Uruguay; Corresponding author.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radcr.2025.01.071
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 20, no. 5
pp. 2248 – 2252

Abstract

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Cat scratch disease, first described in France in the 1930s, is a benign infectious disease with often atypical presentation. Its clinical symptoms and radiologic features can overlap with those of a sarcoma. Here we present the case of a 12-year-old female with cat-scratch disease that was initially misdiagnosed as a soft tissue sarcoma of the elbow. The patient was then successfully treated with an antibiotic course. Our case emphasizes the importance of early consultation by a specialized multidisciplinary team given the lack of specificity and overlap of presentation among benign and malignant masses.

Published in Radiology Case Reports

ISSN: 1930-0433 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Medicine: Medicine (General): Medical physics. Medical radiology. Nuclear medicine
Website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/radiology-case-reports

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