Solitary plasmacytoma of the occipital bone: a case report

Abstract

Solitary plasmacytoma (SP) of the skull is an uncommon clinical entity that is characterized by a localized proliferation of neoplastic monoclonal plasma cells. This case report describes a 50-year-old male that presented with a headache and an exophytic soft mass on the occiput. The diagnosis of SP was based on the pathological results and imaging examinations. The patient underwent occipital craniotomy, skull reconstruction and lower trapezius myocutaneous flap (LTMF) transplantation under general anaesthesia. The tumour was capsulized and extended to the subcutaneous and the subdural space through the dura mater with skull defects. The neoplasm of the occipital bone involved large areas of scalp and subcutaneous tissue, which resulted in a large postoperative scalp defect that was repaired using LTMF transplantation. All of the tumour was removed and the transplanted flap grew well. Follow-up at 5 months identified an aggressive mass lesion on the right frontal lobe. The patient received six cycles of the PAD chemotherapy regimen (bortezomib, doxorubicin and dexamethasone) and the lesion was significantly reduced. This case demonstrates that LTMF is an alternative approach for the repair of scalp and subcutaneous soft tissue defects caused by the excision of a large malignant tumour of the occipital region. Chemotherapy is the choice of treatment for neoplastic recurrence.