Giant cell tumor of bone in an eighteenth-century Italian mummy

• Published in: Virchows Archiv : an international journal of pathology Vol. 479; no. 6; pp. 1255 - 1261
• Main Authors: Ventura, Luca, Petrella, Enrico, Piciucchi, Sara, Cilli, Elisabetta, Luiselli, Donata, Feeney, Robin N. M., Traversari, Mirko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.12.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Aneurysm; Archaeology; Biomedical materials; Bone tumors; Case reports; Chondroblastoma; Computed tomography; Etiology; Female; Femoral Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Femoral Neoplasms - history; Femoral Neoplasms - pathology; Femur; Giant Cell Tumor of Bone - diagnostic imaging; Giant Cell Tumor of Bone - history; Giant Cell Tumor of Bone - pathology; Giant cells; Histiocytoma; History, 18th Century; Humans; Italy; Macrophages; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mummies - history; Mummies - pathology; Neoplasia; Original; Original Article; Pathology; Predictive Value of Tests; Stromal cells; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Tumors; Italy; Fibrous cortical defect; Benign fibrous histiocytoma; Osteoclastic giant cell–rich tumors; Giant cell tumor; Non-ossifying fibroma; Osteoclastoma
• ISSN: 0945-6317; 1432-2307
• DOI: 10.1007/s00428-021-03192-5

Giant cell tumor (GCT) of the bone is a locally aggressive and rarely metastasizing neoplasm. It is composed of neoplastic mononuclear stromal cells with a monotonous appearance admixed with macrophages and osteoclast-like giant cells. In a small subset of cases, GCT is malignant. Terminology previously related to this entity, and which is no longer supported by the World Health Organization, includes osteoclastoma and benign fibrous histiocytoma (BFH). Giant cells occur in numerous other pathologic conditions of the bone, which accounts for the misrepresentation of these non-GCT tumors in the early literature. Non-ossifying fibroma (NOF), aneurysmal bone cyst, and chondroblastoma have been erroneously labeled GCT for this reason. A single description of an ancient GCT was reported by Brothwell and Sandison and subsequently mentioned by Aufderheide and Rodrìguez-Martìn who were astonished that more of these tumors had not been identified in archaeological cases. To the best of our knowledge, no other cases of ancient GCT have been cited in the paleopathology literature. The study of this type of neoplasm in antiquity can be used as a means to better understand its characteristics and behavior and to expand the depth of time of the etiology of these lesions. We report a case of GCT of the left femur observed following the total body CT imaging of a partially mummified adult female, dating to eighteenth century.