The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Vol 68, Issue 7 1079-1089, Copyright © 1986 by Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc
Hereditary bone dysplasia with malignant change. Report of three families
P Hardcastle, S Nade and W Arnold
In this paper three families are reported with members who had hereditary
bone dysplasia that was originally described by Arnold in one family. We
provide further information about that family and suggest that the
diagnosis of the malignant change should be changed from fibrosarcoma to
malignant fibrous histiocytoma. A thorough search of the literature has
failed to reveal any conditions, either hereditary or acquired, that are
similar. The major feature of the dysplasia is diaphyseal medullary
stenosis of bone with overlying cortical-bone thickening, and the
propensity to malignant transformation and fractures with minimum trauma is
emphasized. The tumors in seven, and possibly eight, of the nine patients
in whom a malignant lesion developed were originally classified as
fibrosarcoma and proved to be markedly aggressive. The hereditary pattern
appears to be autosomal dominant. The clinical manifestations of a
malignant lesion occur generally in the second to the fifth decades of
life.