Xanthoma of bone: a report of three cases and review of the literature.

Abstract

Xanthoma of bone is a rare bone disorder characterized as a lytic lesion, often with cortical expansion or disruption. Because of its aggressive radiographic appearance, other primary bone tumors and metastatic lesions need to be ruled out. we present three cases of intraosseous xanthoma: one occurring as a pathologic fracture in the distal tibia, one discovered incidentally in the iliac crest in a patient with hip pain, and one discovered incidentally in the occipital bone of the skull in a child with widespread Hodgkin's lymphoma. All patients were treated with curettage of the lesions; craniectomy followed by cranioplasty for the occipital lesion, and curettage followed by internal fixation and bone grafting for the tibial lesion. The lesion in the iliac crest was treated with curettage and bone grafting. At the most recent follow-up (12, 15, and 24 months for patients with occipital, iliac crest, and tibial lesions, respectively), there was no evidence of local recurrence.