Tarsal metastases in a patient with rectal cancer

Bone metastases from colorectal cancer are uncommon and usually present late in the natural history of metastatic disease. This case report describes a 48-year-old man who developed an unusual distribution of bony metastases with multifocal osteolytic tarsal metastases 50 months after excision of a rectal carcinoma. An open biopsy was required to establish the diagnosis, exclude osteomyelitis and allow palliative radiotherapy to be given.