Avoiding diagnostic pitfalls in mimics of neoplasia: the importance of a comprehensive diagnostic approach

作者：Samsudin Ely Zarina^*; Kamarul Tunku; Mansor Azura

来源：Singapore Medical Journal, 2015, 56(5): E92-E95.

DOI：10.11622/smedj.2015082

• diagnosis errors
• musculoskeletal
• neoplasms
• tumour-like conditions

Any medical diagnosis should take a multimodal approach, especially those involving tumour-like conditions, as entities that mimic neoplasms have overlapping features and may present detrimental outcomes if they are underdiagnosed. These case reports present diagnostic pitfalls resulting from overdependence on a single diagnostic parameter for three musculoskeletal neoplasm mimics: brown tumour (BT) that was mistaken for giant cell tumour (GCT), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis mistaken for osteosarcoma and a pseudoaneurysm mistaken for a soft tissue sarcoma. Literature reviews revealed five reports of BT simulating GCT, four reports of osteomyelitis mimicking osteosarcoma and five reports of a pseudoaneurysm imitating a soft tissue sarcoma. Our findings highlight the therapeutic dilemmas that arise with musculoskeletal mimics, as well as the importance of thorough investigation to distinguish mimickers from true neoplasms.

• 出版日期2015-5