Cutaneous epithelioid osteoblastoma

Epithelioid osteoblastomas (EOB) typically arise in the axial skeleton of young adults, but there are rare case reports of the lesion arising in soft tissue. To date, only 1 case has been reported in the skin, and it has been debated in the literature if that case was truly a neoplasm. With the availability of the new osteoblastic marker SAT2B, the authors present a case of an EOB with confirmed osteoblastic differentiation arising in the tattooed skin of a 32-year-old army veteran. Despite the rarity of the neoplasm, 2 other cases of soft tissue EOB are reported in the literature, also involving military servicemembers. The identification of this unique tumor solely in military personnel is likely due to the relatively high proportion of young males represented in the military, the demographic most likely to develop osteoblastomas. Less likely, the authors postulate the possible existence of an occupational risk factor for soft tissue EOB in military service.