Below is a list of some of the benign bone tumors that we treat:
Only found in pediatric patients:
ANEURYSMAL BONE CYST (ABC)
An aneurysmal bone cyst (abbreviated ABC) is a blood-filled, fibrous cyst that expands the bone. They can occur in any bone in the arms, legs, trunk or skull, as well as the vertebrae and knee. While they are usually benign (non-cancerous) and don’t spread, they can cause pain, swelling and fractures if they deform the bone. There are two types of ABCs: active and aggressive. An active ABC could deform the bone it’s growing in but remains contained in the bone. An aggressive ABC extends beyond the bone to the nearby soft connective tissues. ABCs rarely go away without removing them surgically. In some cases they do grow back.
Most often found in pediatric patients:
CHONDROBLASTOMA
A chondroblastoma, which is also called a Codman's tumor, is a rare type of noncancerous bone tumor that begins in the cartilage. Most chondroblastoma are found around the knee at the end of the thighbone or top of the shinbone. They are also commonly found at the shoulder, but can occur in the pelvis, hip or heel. They can affect people of all ages but are more typical in males younger than 25. The most common symptom is joint pain. They need to be removed surgically and they can recur.
ENCHONDROMA
An enchondroma is a type of noncancerous bone tumor that affects the cartilage that lines the inside of the bones in the tiny long bones of the hands and feet. It may also affect the thighbone, upper arm bone or the lower leg bones. They tend to occur in males and females between ages 10 and 20. An enchondroma can occur as one or several tumors. Ollier disease is when multiple sites in the body develop the tumors. Maffucci syndrome is a combination of multiple tumors and angiomas, which are benign tumors made up of blood vessels. With an enchondroma, you may have no symptoms, though they can cause pain if the tumor is large or if the affected bone has weakened and caused a hand fracture. The tumors can be removed with surgery or bone grafting (a procedure in which healthy bone is transplanted from another part of the body into the affected area). In many cases your doctor will practice watchful waiting with follow-up appointments.
FIBROUS DYSPLASIA
Fibrous dysplasia is a chronic disorder of the skeleton in which scar-like tissue grows in place of normal bone. The condition develops before birth but is usually not diagnosed until the ages of 3 to 15, and sometimes not until adulthood. Any bone can be affected, but it often appears on the thighbone, shinbone, ribs, skull, upper arm bone and pelvis. Symptoms can include bone deformity, brittle bones, pain and uneven bone growth. Typical treatments are surgery, medicines, pain management or physical therapy. Another form of fibrous dysplasia that develops due to hormonal problems is a condition called McCune-Albright syndrome. It causes different symptoms, such as early onset of puberty and café-au-lait skin spots.
OSTEOBLASTOMA
Osteoblastoma is a rare, non-cancerous, aggressive bone tumor. It tends to form in any of the bones in the hands and feet, but it can also occur in the spine where it can lead to scoliosis and neurological symptoms. Osteoblastoma may also occur in conjunction with an aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC), another benign tumor. It is also closely related to osteoid osteoma, a more common benign bone tumor that tends to be smaller. Osteoblastoma typically appear between the ages of 10 and 30 years. Symptoms include sustained pain, swelling and tenderness and nerve compression in the spine. The treatment for osteoblastoma is surgery.
OSTEOCHONDROMA
Osteochondroma is the most common noncancerous bone growth and most often develops during childhood and adolescence between the ages 10 and 30. It is an overgrowth of cartilage and bone at the end of the bone near the growth plate, usually affecting the long bones in the leg, pelvis or shoulder blade. As your child grows, an osteochondroma may grow larger, but typically stops growing once they reach skeletal maturity. In most cases there is no required treatment other than regular monitoring. Symptoms can include a hard, painless mass that doesn’t move, lower-than-normal-height for your age, one leg or arm that is longer than the other, pressure or irritation with exercise, or soreness in nearby muscles.
Most often found in adult patients:
GIANT CELL TUMOR OF THE BONE (GCT)
Giant cell tumor of bone or GCT is a rare, aggressive non-cancerous tumor that generally occurs in adults between the ages 20 and 40. They frequently occur around the knee joint in the lower end of the thighbone or the upper end of the shinbone. They can also occur in the wrist, hip, shoulder and lower back. In some cases, they have been linked to Paget disease of bone, a chronic bone disorder in which bones become enlarged and misshapen. If untreated, GCTs will continue to grow and destroy bone. Tumors that can’t be removed surgically can often be controlled and sometimes destroyed with radiation therapy, but they can recur.