Osseous Metaplasia in Soft Tissue

Abstract

RADIOISOTOPE scintiscanning for demonstration of osseous metastatic disease is now an accepted procedure. Abnormal scans can also be obtained in primary neoplasms of bone as well as in a number of benign conditions. Heterotopic ossification in the stroma of primary epithelial neoplasms is relatively uncommon.¹The presence of bone formation in soft-tissue metastatic disease is a rare occurrence, and the demonstration of this change by scintiscanning is consequently a singular event. Heterotopic new bone in metastatic disease to the abdominal wall has been seen in three cases of intestinal adenocarcinoma^1-3and in one case of carcinoma of the bladder.⁴Each of these instances may have represented surgical implantation of tumor cells rather than true hematogenous or lymphatic spread. However, heterotopic new bone was demonstrated both roentgenographically and histologically in a lymph node metastasis by Senturia et al⁵in one case of adenocarcinoma of the rectum. The