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Vijay H, Navil VK, Vaibhav J, et al. Body aches, tender bones and rapid loss of weight: a case report. Cases J. 2009;2(1):37doi: 10.1186/1757-1626-2-37.
Vijay, H., Navil, V. K., Vaibhav, J., Chopra, A., Goel, A., & Sood, R. (2009). Body aches, tender bones and rapid loss of weight: a case report. Cases journal, 2(1), 37. https://doi.org/10.1186/1757-1626-2-37
Vijay, Hadda, et al. "Body aches, tender bones and rapid loss of weight: a case report." Cases journal vol. 2,1 (2009): 37. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/1757-1626-2-37
Vijay H, Navil VK, Vaibhav J, Chopra A, Goel A, Sood R. Body aches, tender bones and rapid loss of weight: a case report. Cases J. 2009 Jan 10;2(1):37. doi: 10.1186/1757-1626-2-37. PMID: 19134213; PMCID: PMC2637836.
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Cases J. 2009 Jan 10;2(1):37. doi: 10.1186/1757-1626-2-37.

Body aches, tender bones and rapid loss of weight: a case report.

Cases journal

Hadda Vijay, Vikram Kishore Navil, Jain Vaibhav, Anita Chopra, Ashish Goel, Rita Sood

Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi 110029, India. [email protected].

PMID: 19134213 PMCID: PMC2637836 DOI: 10.1186/1757-1626-2-37

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Bone metastases presenting with pain and body-ache may be the first presentation of carcinoma in about a fourth of patients with cancer. Radiologically majority of the metastases are osteolytic and multiple. Sometimes these may be confused with infective or inflammatory conditions, particularly in young individuals, and degenerative conditions of the spine and hip in elderly, which may delay the diagnosis and treatment leading to poor outcomes.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 30 year old non-smoking male teetotaller presented with intermittent, high-grade nocturnal fever with night sweats of one year. He also had low back ache over his right hip. We found him febrile, pale and his long bones, ribs and pelvis were tender. He had a 3 x 4 cm tender and hard swelling over the upper part of his sternum. Another firm, non-tender swelling about 4 x 5 cm was seen in the right iliac region. Radiographs of the skull, spine and pelvis revealed multiple variable sized lytic lesions. A metastatic malignancy or disseminated tuberculosis was considered. His anti-tubercular therapy was intensified Fine needle aspiration from sternal lesion showed inflammatory cells. A bone marrow biopsy showed infiltration by tumor cells suggestive of metastatic adenocarcinoma. Patient's condition continued to deteriorate and he died within a fortnight of his hospitalization.

CONCLUSION: Although masquerading as tuberculosis lytic lesions might be an evidence of malignant metastatic. Although, treatment is ineffective in this stage palliative efforts to improve quality of life should be made.

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