Desmoplastic Fibroma of the Distal Femur in a Young Man:
A Rare Case Report
Introduction
Of all the primary bone tumors, desmoplastic
fibroma (DFB) is a relatively rare entity [1,
2]. The reported incidence in literature
ranges from 0.06% to 0.3%. DFB is a benign
but locally aggressive tumor with border line
activity with no site, sex, or age predilection.
Like its soft-tissue counterpart, DFB is
notorious for its recurrence. One study [2]
refers the recurrence rate being as high as
42%. Cortical destruction and soft-tissue
spread portend a more aggressive
presentation [3]. Treatment varies from
aggressive curettage to wide excision during
index surgery to amputations or radical
excision and distal femoral replacement with
prosthesis [4]. Literature review shows that a
pre-operative diagnosis of DFB is as a rule
never made and therefore appropriateness of
surgical excision during the index procedure
can always be debated [5]. We report a case of
DFB of the distal femur treated by a novel
technique using extended curettage, adjuvant
phenol application, and bone cement with
plate fixation.
All laboratory investigations were within
normal limits. The core biopsy was non-
conclusive. Curetted material from the lesion
obtained intraoperatively revealed a
mesenchymal neoplasm of the bone, of mild-
to-moderate cellularity. It was composed of
A 24-year-old young male presented with a
history of the left knee and lower thigh pain
and swelling for the past 4 months. The pain
started acutely, without any history of
trauma, and progressed over the past 4
months. For the past month, he was unable to
weight bear on the left lower limb, and there
were no constitutional symptoms. There was
a moderately large and tender swelling
present over the lower medial left thigh with
painful knee movements.
Case Report
Clinical presentation
Imaging
Laboratories and tissue diagnosis
On plain radiographs, a large destructive
osteolytic lesion involving the distal femur
with breakage of the medial cortex was seen
(Fig. 1). Magnetic resonance imaging
revealed a large heterogeneous altered signal
in the lower diaphysis and metaphysis of the
distal femur, with an asymmetrical expansion
of the involved bone.
Case Report: A 24-year-old male presented with swelling around with DFB the left distal femur presented with pain for 4 months which
progressed in severity and led to inability to bear weight. On clinical examination, he had a tender discrete swelling over the medial aspect of the
left distal femur. Radiographic examination showed an eccentric lytic lesion in the metaphyseoepiphyseal region of the left distal femur. An
extended curettage using phenol (10%) as adjuvant therapy was performed. The cavity was packed with bone cement and the distal femur was
fixed by spanning the lytic lesion with a distal femoral locking plate. At months follow-up, he reported complete resolution of symptoms, and on
examination, he had pain free and full range of motion, without any signs of recurrence.
Keywords: Desmoplastic fibroma, benign bone tumors, surgery, knee, femur.
Introduction: Lytic lesions in the distal femur in a mature skeleton though a common presentation for various tumors, desmoplastic fibroma
(DFB) of bone is a rare occurrence. Review of the literature shows its incidence of 0.06% to 0.3%. In the majority of reported cases, the diagnosis
has been obtained on histopathological examination. Treatment varies from aggressive curettage to amputations. We describe a novel surgical
technique for dealing such lesions.
Conclusion: An effort should be made to obtain a pre-operative histopathological diagnosis of the tumor type. In cases of equivocal findings, a
diagnosis of DFB of the bone should be considered. Extended curettage, phenol ablation, and bone cement with plate augmentation offer an
effective treatment modality in the treatment of DFB.
Abstract
Case Report
Journal of 2020 September-December; 6(3) Bone and Soft Tissue Tumors : 2-4 |
Suresh Babu¹, Abhishek Vaish¹, Raju Vaishya¹
which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0)
© 2020 by Journal of Bone and Soft Tissue Tumors | Available on www.jbstjournal.com | doi:10.13107/jbst.2020.v06i03.030
Dr. Suresh Babu,
E-mail: yssureshbabu@gmail.com
1
Department of Orthopaedics and Joint Replacement Surgery,
Indrparastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi, India.
Address of Correspondence
Department of Orthopaedics and Joint Replacement Surgery,
Indrparastha Apollo Hospitals, Sarita Vihar, New Delhi - 110 076,
India.
Dr. Abhishek Vaish
Journal of Bone and Soft Tissue Tumors Volume 6 Issue 3 Sep-Dec 2020 Page 2-4 2| | | | |
Dr. Raju Vaishya Dr. Suresh Babu