Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Orthopedic Surgery

According to a Mayo Clinic series, giant cell tumors represent 5% of bone neoplasm. They typically occur in patients 20 to 40 years old, and there is a slight female predominance. The most common location for this tumor is the distal femur, followed closely by the proximal tibia. Most patients with giant cell tumors have progressive pain that often is related to activity initially and only later becomes evident at rest. The pain is rarely severe, unless a pathological fracture has occurred. In 10% to 30% of patients, pathological fractures are evident at initial examination. Radiographic findings often are diagnostic. The lesions are eccentrically located in the epiphyses of long bones and usually abut the subchondral bone. The lesion frequently expands or breaks through the cortex (2). Approximately one in five patients with giant cell tumor of bone presents with a pathologic fracture. However, recurrence rates after resection or curettage differ substantially in the literature and it is unclear when

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