Presented is a case of 59-year-old woman with longstanding neck pain who has been promptly operated for spinal cord compression. Imaging studies disclosed ill-defined cervical paravertebral soft tissue mass at the level of vertebra C5/6 abutting left-sided intervertebral joint and destroying neighboring both vertebral arch and processus spinosus.
Submitted specimen was interpreted as a possible metastatic skeletal process by clinicians and referring pathologist favored diagnosis of giant cell tumor/osteoclastoma of the bone. Microscopic features were consistent with giant cell lesion where uniform mononuclear mosaic stromal component dominated the unevenly distributed loose clusters of osteoclast-like giant cells frequently imparting appearance of peculiar pseudoalveolar spaces.
Additionally, alternating geographic xanthomatous and densely hyalinized/ osteoid-like zones with speckled, coarsely granular haemosiderin pigment completed the variegated structural composition. The tumor infiltrated adjacent striated muscles; either original bone structures and/or extracellular matrix deposits were not identified.
Immunohistochemical stains with p63, SATB2, desmin, EMA, clusterin and S100protein turned out to be completely negative. FISH analysis revealed no rearrangement of CSF1 gene.
The diagnosis of the diffuse tenosynovial giant cell tumor was rendered.