Evaluation of Primary Bone Lymphoma and the Importance of Positron Emission Tomography

Abstract

Primary lymphoma of the bone is an extremely rare tumor in the form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma or Hodgkin lymphoma. The majority of primary bone lymphomas are non-Hodgkin lymphoma, of which the most common subtype is diffuse large cell lymphoma. Patients can present with pain, swelling or pathologic fracture. Definitive diagnosis is made after biopsy examination. Treatment consists of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. We report 3 male patients who presented with pain and swelling. Involvement was in the distal femur, proximal fibula and iliac crest in all patients. Patients were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in biopsy examination and underwent chemotherapy. The patient with distal femoral involvement underwent distal femoral resection prosthesis. Another patient with involvement of the fibular head experienced foot drop and delayed wound healing. Fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography revealed complete response to the treatment. Patients are in remission and continue schooling. © 2014 Turkish Association of Orthopaedics and Traumatology.