title: Post-fracture osteolysis of the pubic bone simulating a malignancy: report of a case.
abstract: Post-fracture osteolysis of the pubic bone is rare. We report a case of a 70-year-old woman with osteoporosis and a history of radiation therapy 2 years earlier. At presentation, she was found to have a bilateral sacral fracture and fractures of both pubic rami on one side. The pain persisted, and follow-up radiographs showed osteolysis of the pubic rami suggestive of metastatic disease. The development of a bony callus within 8 months established the diagnosis of benign osteolysis. About 50 cases of osteolysis at fracture sites have been reported to date, of which about a dozen occurred after radiation therapy. All the patients were elderly women with post-menopausal osteoporosis. Radiation therapy probably further increases the risk in this setting. The possibility of osteolysis at fracture sites in patients with osteoporosis should be borne in mind to avoid unnecessary and burdensome investigations that are costly and cause undue anxiety to the patients. Rest is the only effective treatment.
authors.affiliation: Oncology Department, Brest Teaching Hospital, Brest, France.
authors.forename: Estelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Botton
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saraux
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Malhaire
authors.forename: Touraj
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mansourbakht
authors.forename: Sandrine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jousse
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Le Goff
authors.forename: Jean-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Labat
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002146:Bony Callus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D017102:Fracture Healing; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007506:Iron-Sulfur Proteins; D010014:Osteolysis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D010388:Pelvis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011630:Pubic Bone / Q000293:injuries*; D011859:Radiography; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012307:Risk Factors; D012447:Sacrum / Q000293:injuries; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D000090123:Viperin Protein
chemical_list: D007506:Iron-Sulfur Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C406152:Rsad2 protein, rat; D000090123:Viperin Protein