Ortho Oracle - orthopaedic operative atlas
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Microscopic Features of Bone


- Discussion:
    - osteoclasts are found in most of bone tumors, or at least there are multinucleated cells that look like osteoclasts;
         - there cells are quite striking in appearance;
    - host bone involved by a tumor reacts to it in a very limited manner;
    - it may undergo Resorption, which roentgenographically appears as lytic or osteoporotic area;
    - resorption is accomplished by osteoclasts that may be so abundant as to appear to be integral part of lesion rather than reaction to it;
    - host bone may respond to the presence of tumor by forming more bone;
         - this response is seen in the osteoblastic reaction to metastatic cancer of prostate;
    - its important to determine whether the bone formed in tumor is being produced by the actual tumor cells or by normal osteoblasts reacting
         to the tumor;
    - though there are several benign tumors which actually form bone, there is only one malignant bone-forming tumor, osteogenic sarcoma;
    - in most situations, the host bone responds to a tumor by combination of resorption and bone formation