Tumoral calcinosis: a study of cases from Papua New Guinea

Forty-eight cases of tumoral calcinosis were recorded in surgical pathology material, Port Moresby General Hospital, Papua New Guinea during the period from 1981 to 1985. The lesions were most common in the fifth decade of life and the female to male ratio was 2:1. The hip region and the greater trochanter were the common sites involved and this observation supports the possible aetiological relationship of tumoral calcinosis to trauma resulting in pressure ischaemia. In this series, from a country in which the condition is well known, only 35.8% were correctly diagnosed preoperatively. With a knowledge of its clinicopathological features, it should be possible for most cases to be diagnosed preoperatively.