THE PREOPERATIVE DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS OF BONE TUMORS

Abstract

The Clinical, Pathologic Association and Sarcoma Registry have prepared a classification of bone tumors which is easily understood by the general practitioner and conforms with surgical, pathologic and roentgenologic conceptions. For the purpose of this paper I have modified it slightly, and rearranged it so that the tumors progress from the traumatic and infectious through the benign to the most malignant types. It consists of ten groups instead of the original eight. Inflammatory lesions simulating bone tumors (osteoperiostitis): Traumatic (callous, ossifying hematoma). Syphilitic. Infectious (nonsuppurative osteitis of Garre, Brodie's abscess, tuberculosis). Osteitis fibrosa cystica; cysts. Benign osteogenic tumors: Exostosis. Osteoma. Chondroma. Fibroma. Giant-cell tumors. Angioma. Endothelioma (Ewing's tumor). Periosseous fibrosarcoma. Osteogenic sarcoma. Multiple myeloma. Metastatic tumors. With a history, clinical examination, urinalysis, Wassermann test and roentgenogram, an expert may accurately diagnose nine out of ten cases. There exists a small group, however, which defies even the most experienced until