Giant-cell tumor (GCT) of the bone affecting the hand is a rare lesion that is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage and has a high rate of recurrence. In the current literature, GCT is described as a predominantly osteoclastogenic stromal cell tumor of mesenchymal origin. It is composed of three cell types: the neoplastic GCT stromal cells; mononuclear monocyte cells; and multinucleated giant cells. Clinical imaging is basic for the diagnosis of a GCT. This tumor within the hand tends to be less eccentric and most often central. GCT of metacarpals is noted to be a rare location, with the incidence being as low as 2%. GCT on hand as compared to other sites is locally more aggressive, grows faster, and has a higher recurrence rate. A 22-year-old male patient presented with swelling over the left hand for 7 months, spontaneous in onset, gradually progressive in size, and painfully restricting the joint movement, with no history of fall or trauma. On examination, diffuse swelling of size 5 × 5 × 3 cm was tender on palpation, restricting the movement at the 4th metacarpophalangeal joint. A plain radiograph followed by an MRI scan revealed a Campanacci\'s Grade III GCT of the 4th metacarpal. An open biopsy showed an expanded and lytic mass with areas of hemorrhage and necrosis. There were few mitotic figures and the tumor was diagnosed to be a GCT. On surgical resection, friable tumor tissue was noted over the region of the entire 4th metacarpal except for the base. The patient was managed by surgical intralesional excision of the mass, followed by Kirschner-wire fixation and reconstruction with synthetic bone graft. The excised tissue was sent for histopathological examination. The patient was followed up at regular intervals, with initial splinting, followed by wire removal at 6-week post-op, and with adequate physiotherapy, as tolerated by the patient. On a 3-month follow-up, the range of motion had returned to a functional level, with good uptake of graft, and no other complications. GCT of the hand is a rare presentation of the disease and requires meticulous workup, including a thorough clinical exam, hematological, radiological, and pathological workup. The various treatment modalities described in the literature for GCTs are curettage alone, curettage and bone graft, en-bloc resection, amputation, and resection with reconstruction, but curettage alone or curettage with bone graft is not effective even for GCTs of long bones and hand, too. Such a procedure creates a skeletal void and hence furthers the need for a challenging reconstructive procedure requiring reconstruction using autograft, allograft, or silastic (synthetic) implant.

BACKGROUND: Desmoplastic fibroma (DF) is an extremely rare locally aggressive bone tumor with an incidence of 0.11% of all primary bone tumors. The typical clinical presentation is pain and swelling above the affected area. The most common sites of involvement are the mandible and the metaphysis of long bones. Histologically and biologically, desmoplastic fibroma mimics extra-abdominal desmoid tumor of soft tissue.
UNASSIGNED: A case of a 27-year old man with DF in the ilium, including the clinical, radiological and histological findings over a 4-year period is presented here. CT scans performed in 3-year intervals prior to surgical intervention were compared with respect to tumor extension and cortical breakthrough. The patient was treated with curettage and grafting based on anatomical considerations. Follow-up CT scans over 18-months are also documented here. Additionally, a review and analysis of 271 cases including the presented case with particular emphasis on imaging patterns in MRI and CT as well as treatment modalities and outcomes are presented.
CONCLUSIONS: In patients with desmoplastic fibroma, CT is the preferred imaging technique for both the diagnosis of intraosseus tumor extension and assessment of cortical involvement, whereas MRI is favored for the assessment of extraosseus tumor growth and preoperative planning. While tumor resection remains the preferred treatment for DF, curettage and grafting prove to be an acceptable alternative treatment modality with close follow-up when resection is not possible. Curettage and grafting have been shown to provide good clinical results and are associated with long recurrence free intervals.