title: Dilemmas in distinguishing between tumor and the posttraumatic lesion with surgical or pathologic correlation.
abstract: This article discusses the most common diagnostic dilemmas when trying to distinguish between tumor and sports injury or other trauma. Bone tumors frequently occur in the same young active patients who experience sports injuries. If the pain persists longer than expected, imaging studies should be obtained to prevent a delay in diagnosis or an inappropriate arthroscopy. A history of spontaneous fracture or a fracture after minor trauma should raise suspicion for underlying lesion as the cause. Occasionally necrosis and/or hemorrhage within a soft tissue sarcoma is so extensive that only a small cuff of viable tumor tissue is present.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, USA. ewalker@hmc.psu.edu
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Pam
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brian
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Longo
authors.forename: Edward J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.forename: Elizabeth E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Frauenhoffer
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murphey
mesh_terms: D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005598:Fractures, Spontaneous / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D018212:Giant Cell Tumor of Bone / Q000175:diagnosis; D006406:Hematoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007592:Joint Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009221:Myositis Ossificans / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed