title: Extraarticular paravertebral diffuse-type giant cell tumor.
abstract: A diffuse-type giant cell tumor (DGCT) of the paravertebral region is a rare condition characterized by an ill-demarcated mass with facet joint involvement. We describe a case of extra-articular DGCT of the paravertebral cervical region without association to the facet joint. A 51-year-old male presented with a headache. Diagnostic imaging showed a dumbbell-shaped mass with enlargement of the right intervertebral foramen between C6 and C7. The tumor was completely resected in multiple fragments with the suspicion that it was a schwannoma. Histologically the tumor consisted chiefly of mononuclear histiocytoid cells, foamy macrophages and multinucleated giant cells, which led to a diagnosis of DGCT. The case alerts one to be aware that DGCT may originate from a paravertebral location as a soft-tissue mass without facet joint involvement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Otsu Municipal Hospital, 2-9-9 Motomiya, Otsu, Shiga 520-0804, Japan. a198009@ych.or.jp
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Masuzawa
authors.forename: Mitsuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kishimoto
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Houshimaru
mesh_terms: D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005870:Giant Cell Tumors / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D006261:Headache / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009442:Neurilemmoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D035583:Rare Diseases; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed