Periosteal osteosarcoma and Marfan’s syndrome: A case report and literature review

Abstract

Periosteal osteosarcoma (POS) is a rare primary malignant bone tumor arising from the surface of long bones. In addition, Marfan's syndrome (MFS) is an infrequent hereditary autosomal dominant connective tissue disorder with high penetrance and variable phenotypes, which primarily affects the ocular, skeletal and cardiovascular systems. The present study reported a case of POS and MFS co-occurring in a child. A 6-year-old girl with MFS presented with pain, swelling and deformity in the right thigh following a fall. The patient was diagnosed with a right femoral shaft fracture and underwent open internal fixation surgery at a local hospital. At 2 weeks following surgery, the patient's parents observed increased swelling in the right thigh and thus, revisited the clinic. X-ray examination revealed extensive osteotylus around the fracture site and the clinician decided to remove the internal fixation. Following removal of the implant, aggravated swelling and superficial venous engorgement were observed. The patient was then admitted to Nanfang Hospital, where magnetic resonance imaging was performed, which identified symptoms of an abnormal periosteal reaction with bone erosion, indicating POS. The patient underwent a wide resection of the tumor and the histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of POS. No recurrence was identified at 9 months postoperatively. In conclusion, the present case report may result in increased awareness of the possibility of malignant bone tumors in a hereditary patient with osteotylus overgrowth following fracture surgery; in addition, the present case indicated a possible correlation between POS and MFS.