Epiphyseal Tumors

Abstract

The epiphyses of bone have a different physiologic development and pathophysiology compared to the other skeleton. Hereby the very low incidence of primary bone tumors has to be noted. The analysis of our tumor register, including 2758 cases, and of the literature confirms the chondroblastoma as the most frequent bone tumor especially in the second decade of life. Besides this we find chondromas of the epiphysis in infancy. Osteoid osteomas and osteoblastomas as well as tumor-like lesions and osteomyelitis occur extremely rare. We had no case of a primary malignant bone tumor in our register. Moreover less than 10 cases of osteosarcoma of the epiphysis have been reported in the literature. The border between metaphysis and epiphysis can not be distinguished any more after closure of the epiphyseal growth plate so that primary and secondary bone tumors can develop in this region now. An isolated occurrence of tumor in the epiphysis is even rare in adolescence.