UMEM Educational Pearls

Question

64 year-old male with no past medical history presents complaining of chronic weight-loss and diffuse chest pain; CXR is shown. What's the diagnosis and what other disease(s) may present similarly?

 

Answer

Sclerotic bone (osteoblastic) metastasis secondary to prostate cancer. The patient's CXR from 2 years prior is shown below for comparison.

Other malignancies associated with osteoblastic metastasis:

  • Breast cancer
  • Colon cancer (i.e., mucinous adenocarcinoma)
  • Lymphoma
  • Carcinoid
  • Neuroblastoma
  • Prostate cancer (#1 cause)

References

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