Multiple giant cell tumors and Paget disease of bone: radiographic and clinical correlations

The clinical and radiographic findings of four patients with multicentric giant cell tumor (GCT) of bone and Paget disease were retrospectively reviewed. Three patients underwent magnetic resonance (MR) imaging evaluation; all patients underwent computed tomography (CT). The MR characteristics of the bone component in pagetic GCT appeared to reflect the pagetic phase; a sclerotic pattern was largely represented by hypointense marrow signal intensity on images obtained with both long and short repetition times (TRs) and echo times (TEs). Conversely, a tumor appearing in a mixed pagetic phase demonstrated more heterogeneous signal intensity with all pulse sequences. Extensive soft-tissue components, noted in all cases, showed largely intermediate signal intensity on short TR/TE images and foci of increased signal intensity on longer TR/TE images. In most cases, dramatic reduction in tumor bulk was noted with the use of steroids alone. An awareness of this entity is important because the appearance of lytic lesions with soft-tissue extension in patients with Paget disease does not necessarily imply a grave prognosis. Serial CT or MR imaging is helpful in monitoring the remissions and exacerbations that reflect response to therapy in Paget disease and GCT.