Benign bone tumors | An overview of human bone diseases

Benign bone tumors

Compared to malignant bone tumors, benign bone tumors usually grow slowly and do not infiltrate. This means that they do not affect adjacent structures and can be clearly differentiated. Among the most prominent benign representatives are: An enchondrome is a benign bone tumor of cartilaginous origin (chondrome) within a bone.

An enchondrome is the most common tumor that is found within the small tubular bones of the hand and foot, or in the pelvis or large tubular bones. A chondroblastoma is very rare and is usually located in the pineal gland of long tubular bones. The osteochondrome is the most common benign bone tumor.

In most cases, it originates from the growth plate and forms nodular bone outgrowths of hard bone material (corticalis), which is covered by a cap of hyaline cartilage. An osteoid osteoma is a benign tumor change of the skeleton. The X-ray image typically shows localized bone compression in the area of the hard tubular bone with a central cavity (nidus).

Nocturnal pain that responds well to aspirin is characteristically described. The osteoclastoma is also called giant cell tumor. This is a tumor originating from bone marrow with histological evidence of giant cells.

A bone cyst is a fluid-filled cavity in the bone and is incorporated under tumor-like benign bone injuries. A distinction is also made between a simple (juvenile) and aneurysmatic bone cyst. As the name suggests, the clinical picture of a juvenile bone cyst occurs in children and adolescents and is located in the metaphysis.

Degenerative diseases of the bone

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the joints, usually caused by excessive physical strain. As a result, over the years the joint surfaces are increasingly worn down until finally more pain-sensitive areas in the joints are exposed. In general, more women than men are affected by osteoarthritis.

Risk factors for the development of arthrosis include obesity, poor posture and previous operations on the joint.In the meantime, a genetic component of the disease has also been proven, so that people with sick relatives have a higher risk of developing osteoarthritis. In the early stages, patients complain of pain that only occurs when the joints are strained. As the disease progresses, the pain also occurs at rest and then especially at night.