Giant cell tumor of distal tibia in an immature skeleton: A case report

Abstract

Introduction: Giant cell tumor is one of the common bone tumors with increased incidence in the female population of age second to the fourth decade. It is very uncommon to find the tumor in the immature skeleton and there are only a few reported cases describing the course and consequences of disease in children. Case presentation: A 14-years old female presented to our hospital with complaints of pain and swelling on the medial side of the distal leg along with difficulty in walking for 4 months. On examination, She had diffuse swelling on the medial aspect of the distal leg around the ankle, along with tenderness in the same site. Xray of the ankle joint showed an osteolytic lesion in the distal tibia. The case was managed with extended curettage and bone cementing after doing the MRI and open intra-lesional biopsy. One year after surgery, she did not have any angular deformity, limb length discrepancy, or disease recurrence. Conclusion: Giant cell tumor of the immature skeleton is very rare, however, its possibility for occurrence cannot be underestimated. Even though GCT is a benign tumor, it sometimes presents as a locally aggressive tumor and even metastasizes to the lungs.

Keywords

• Giant cell tumor
• Immature skeleton
• Osteolytic lesion
• Pediatric
• Tibia