Primary desmoplastic small round cell tumor of the tibia: PET/CT and MRI presentation of a rare case and review of the literature

Abstract

Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) was a soft tissue sarcoma of mesenchymal cell origin that typically exhibited a multi-phenotypic pattern of immunohistochemical staining. DSRCT mainly presented in the abdomen sites and primary occurrence in bone was exceptional. In this study, we reported a new case of primary DSRCT of the tibia in a 33-year-old man who had intermittent pain in the left tibia. Radiographs showed transparent lesions in the left upper tibial. MRI revealed a lobular, lytic and ill-identified lesion with adjacent soft tissues swelling of the upper left tibia. CT confirmed notable destruction and wormlike osteolysis of the bone cortex. PET/CT showed a mass of high uptakes, indicating the malignance. He accepted surgical resection with followed multi-agent chemotherapy, containing vincristine, doxorubicin, ifosfamide and etoposide. Clinically and radiologically, the patient did not show any evidence of recurrence or metastasis at 30 months after surgical treatment. Primary osteogenic DSRCT was extremely rare and should be considered in differential diagnosis of bone tumors.