Skeletal Metastasis;Distribution by Age, ,Sex,and Histological Classification(Medical city)

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Skeleton is the one of the commonest sites of secondary cancer, it is seen more frequently than all primary bone tumors together. Vertebrae, pelvis and proximal parts of long bone are moreinvolved by secondary metastasis. Breast cancer is the commonest cause of primary tumorfollowed by Prostatic carcinoma. Despite the advances in diagnosis but still about 10 % ofcases remain as secondary with undetermined primary site.OBJECTIVE: To disclose the distribution of bone metastasis and their primary site among Iraqi patients. PATIENTS AND METHOD: 102 patient were enrolled in a retrospective study conducted in medical city complex inBaghdad/ Iraq from January 1990- July 2000.Patient are either known to have primary malignant tumor and discovered to have secondarymetastasis to bone as part of the routine screen or development of symptoms suggestive ofbone metastasis, the other group of patients are presented with bone metastasis. All patientsare subjected to intensive medical history and proved their secondary metastasis by excisionalbiopsy or fine needle aspiration with histopathological diagnosisRESULTS: The mean age of our patients was 41 years, with range (2-80 years), men were commonlyinvolved than women, the peak incidence of metastasis was in 1991. Vertebral bodies arecommonly involved and lungs are the most common primary siteCONCLUSION: Well differentiated columnar adenocarcinoma is the commonest histopathological type ofmalignant tumor metastases to bones, lungs are the most common primary site. Undeterminedprimary tumors are still consist a diagnostic problem in our daily practice more cooperativeteam work is needed to disclose the final diagnosis