Bone and soft tissue tumours

Question 1

What is a sarcoma?

Answer 1

Malignant tumours arising from connective tissues

Question 2

How do sarcoma spread to lungs?

Answer 2

Haematogenous spread

Question 3

Is it more common for a tumour of the skeleton to be benign or malignant?

Answer 3

Benign

Question 4

What are some benign bone forming tumours?

Answer 4

Osteoid osteoma

Osteoblastoma

Question 5

What is a malignant bone forming tumour called?

Answer 5

Osteosarcoma

Question 6

What are some benign cartilage forming tumours?

Answer 6

Enchondroma

Osteochondroma

Question 7

What is a malignant cartilage forming tumour called?

Answer 7

Chondrosarcoma

Question 8

What is a benign fibrous tissue called?

Answer 8

Fibroma

Question 9

What is a malignant fibrous tissue tumour called?

Answer 9

Fibrosarcmoa

Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma (MFH)

Question 10

List some types of benign vascular tissue tumours.

Answer 10

Haemangioma

Aneurysmal bone cyst

Question 11

Name a malignant vascular tissue tumour.

Answer 11

Angiosarcoma

Question 12

Name a benign adipose tissue tumour.

Answer 12

Lipoma

Question 13

What would you call a malignant adipose tissue tumour?

Answer 13

Liposarcoma

Question 14

List some types of malignant marrow tissue tumours.

Answer 14

Ewing’s sarcoma
Lymphoma
Myeloma

Question 15

What is the most common primary malignant bone tumour among younger patients?

Answer 15

Osteosarcoma

Question 16

What is the most common primary malignant bone tumour among older patients?

Answer 16

Myeloma

Question 17

What are some characteristics of a primary bone tumour history?

Answer 17

Pain
Mass
Abnormal x-rays

Question 18

What is bone tumour pain like?

Answer 18

Severe
Activity related
Progressive pain at rest and at night

Question 19

Can benign tumours cause activity related pain?

Answer 19

Yes, if they are large enough

Question 20

What characteristics of a bone tumour are examined?

Answer 20

Location
Shape
Size
Consistency
Mobility
Tenderness
Local temperature

Question 21

What is the most useful imaging technique to see bone lesions?

Answer 21

Plain x-rays

Question 22

What happens when a lesion destroys the cortex?

Answer 22

Periosteal reactive new bone growth

Question 23

What are some things CT is good at assessing?

Answer 23

Ossification
Calcification
Nidus
Staging - primarily in lungs

Question 24

What are some things isotope bone scans are good for assessing?

Answer 24

Staging for skeletal metastases
Imaging multiple lesions
Benign tumours

Question 25

Which investigation is useful for imaging limits of disease both within and outside bones?

Answer 25

MRI

Question 26

What is a drawback of MRI imaging for a bone tumour?

Answer 26

Non-specific for benign vs malignant