Giant Cell Tumor of Rib Arising Anteriorly as a Large Inframammary Mass: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Introduction. Giant cell tumor of the bone is a rare benign lesion that infrequently affects the ribs, and if present, is usually located posteriorly. The rarity of this tumor poses diagnostic and therapeutic problems for physicians, especially when it is located in the anterior arc of the rib in c...

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Main Authors: Amit Sharma, Amy E. Armstrong
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2012-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Medicine
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/850509
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author Amit Sharma
Amy E. Armstrong
author_facet Amit Sharma
Amy E. Armstrong
author_sort Amit Sharma
collection DOAJ
description Introduction. Giant cell tumor of the bone is a rare benign lesion that infrequently affects the ribs, and if present, is usually located posteriorly. The rarity of this tumor poses diagnostic and therapeutic problems for physicians, especially when it is located in the anterior arc of the rib in close proximity to the breasts in female patients. Case Presentation. We report the case of a 32-year-old Asian female with a giant cell tumor of her anterior rib, presenting as a large inframammary mass. Computed tomography showed a tumor arising from the 7th rib anteriorly with marginal sclerosis, cortical destruction, and a soft tissue mass. She was treated with surgical resection, and the defect was reconstructed primarily. The surgical specimen measured 28.0 × 24.0 cm. The microscopic examination showed a large number of multinucleate giant cells scattered over the parenchyma. Patient recovered uneventfully and continues to be recurrence-free six years after surgical resection. Conclusion. We report the largest known case of giant cell tumor arising from the anterior aspect of a rib. We recommend including giant cell tumor in the differential diagnosis of chest wall masses especially in female patients, regardless of the size on clinical examination.
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spelling doaj-art-0d68dcf60a7d4cb983dcd92860dfa57e2025-08-20T03:54:24ZengWileyCase Reports in Medicine1687-96271687-96352012-01-01201210.1155/2012/850509850509Giant Cell Tumor of Rib Arising Anteriorly as a Large Inframammary Mass: A Case Report and Review of the LiteratureAmit Sharma0Amy E. Armstrong1Division of Transplantation Surgery, Department of Surgery, Virginia Commonwealth University, P.O. Box 980057, Richmond, VA 23298, USAVirginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, 1101 E. Marshall Street, Richmond, VA 23298, USAIntroduction. Giant cell tumor of the bone is a rare benign lesion that infrequently affects the ribs, and if present, is usually located posteriorly. The rarity of this tumor poses diagnostic and therapeutic problems for physicians, especially when it is located in the anterior arc of the rib in close proximity to the breasts in female patients. Case Presentation. We report the case of a 32-year-old Asian female with a giant cell tumor of her anterior rib, presenting as a large inframammary mass. Computed tomography showed a tumor arising from the 7th rib anteriorly with marginal sclerosis, cortical destruction, and a soft tissue mass. She was treated with surgical resection, and the defect was reconstructed primarily. The surgical specimen measured 28.0 × 24.0 cm. The microscopic examination showed a large number of multinucleate giant cells scattered over the parenchyma. Patient recovered uneventfully and continues to be recurrence-free six years after surgical resection. Conclusion. We report the largest known case of giant cell tumor arising from the anterior aspect of a rib. We recommend including giant cell tumor in the differential diagnosis of chest wall masses especially in female patients, regardless of the size on clinical examination.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/850509
spellingShingle Amit Sharma
Amy E. Armstrong
Giant Cell Tumor of Rib Arising Anteriorly as a Large Inframammary Mass: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Case Reports in Medicine
title Giant Cell Tumor of Rib Arising Anteriorly as a Large Inframammary Mass: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
title_full Giant Cell Tumor of Rib Arising Anteriorly as a Large Inframammary Mass: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
title_fullStr Giant Cell Tumor of Rib Arising Anteriorly as a Large Inframammary Mass: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
title_full_unstemmed Giant Cell Tumor of Rib Arising Anteriorly as a Large Inframammary Mass: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
title_short Giant Cell Tumor of Rib Arising Anteriorly as a Large Inframammary Mass: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
title_sort giant cell tumor of rib arising anteriorly as a large inframammary mass a case report and review of the literature
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/850509
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