Distal tibia giant cell tumor surgical treatment: A case report

Abstract

Giant Cell Tumor is a very common benign bone tumor occurring in young adults 20-40’s which has an unpredictable behavior. It is locally aggressive with a chance to infiltrate soft tissue and metastasize. Surgical treatment is the standard of care in symptomatic patients. The two primary methods of treatment include wide resection or a local excision approach. The following case report details a relatively healthy young adult with a painful ankle joint seeking a second opinion at our institution. Initial xrays were read as negative at another facility and at our institution a bone lesion was identified. Advanced imaging revealed a distal tibial bone lesion for which surgical treatment was recommended as biopsy and if benign then intralesional excision. He was able to return to pain free ambulation, however the lesion reoccurred. After subsequent surgical treatment, there has been no reoccurrence and the patient is back to full activity pain free. These outcomes suggest Intralesional approach to be appropriate in symptomatic distal tibial giant cell tumor treatment.

Keywords

• Giant cell tumor
• Tibia Bone lesion
• Curettage