Aggressive giant cell tumor of the anterior arc of the rib

Abstract

Giant cell tumor of bone also known as osteoclastoma is a distinct clinical, roentgenographic and pathologic entity with specific characteristics. It is a benign but locally aggressive neoplasm, classically seen as a purely lytic lesion of the epiphyseal or metaphyseal-epiphyseal region of long tubular bones extending to the articular surface. It usually occurs after skeletal maturation and is one of the rare bone tumors that more frequently affects women. Even though rarely it can occur in ribs, it usually occurs in the posterior aspect. We report here a case of giant cell tumor originating from the anterior arc of the rib diagnosed on fine needle aspiration cytology.