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Dr. Beauchamp explains a developmental bone tumor.
Dr. Beauchamp:
A developmental tumor occurs as the skeleton grows. So, when we are first formed, for instance, our skeletons are largely made of cartilage and then there is an orderly progression of development of conversion of the cartilage into bone, and then the bone has to grow to our adult shape. So, in that process, there are a number of mechanisms that occur that not only allow bones to grow in length, but they have to change shape too.
So, the mechanisms are very elaborate that control that and there are certainly all sorts of flaws that can occur that result in the bones not forming properly. And that can be something that we would appreciate on just an x-ray that there was a flaw in the way the bone is forming and it looks kind of funny, all the way to bones that form in a misshapen way and cause extra lumps of bone to occur where they are not supposed to be there or that can be such a severe degree that it can actually affect the ability of the bone to grow in length, which results in short stature and bone deformities that can create significant problems for arthritis, joint function, and things afterwards.
About Dr. Beauchamp, M.D.:
Dr. Christopher P. Beauchamp, M.D., is an orthopedic surgery and Associate Professor of Orthopedics at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona. He focuses specifically on musculoskeletal oncology, adult reconstructive orthopedics, bone and soft tissue sarcomas, and infected, failed joint arthroplasty.
Visit Dr. Beauchamp at the Mayo Clinic