Nearly 20% of healthy kids have benign bone tumors, radiograph evidence shows
Nearly 20% of healthy kids may have benign bone tumors that will likely resolve over time, according to a new analysis published in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
Indiana University School of Medicine researchers evaluated a collection of some 25,000 radiographs gathered from children in infancy to adolescence. The study yielded 35 bone tumors in 33 patients, a high prevalence considering only their left side was imaged, authors explained Monday.
Such findings are harmless but can cause anxiety for both patients and their families. And until now, there haven’t been many answers when doctors are asked how common these abnormalities are and if they will change over time.
“These findings provide unique evidence to answer many commonly encountered questions when counseling patients and their families on benign bone tumors,” Christopher D. Collier, MD, with the Indianapolis-based school said in a statement.
Collier and colleagues gathered their conclusions from a study known as the Brush Inquiry. During the course of the research spanning 1926 to 1942, 262 healthy children in Cleveland underwent annual radiographs. The authors noted such a study wouldn’t be undertaken today given the ethical concerns regarding yearly radiation exposure.
In total, 18.9% of children showed benign bone tumors, with more than half proving to be non-ossifying fibromas: masses of connective tissue that haven’t hardened into bone. Such formations often show up around 5 years old. Seven of the 19 abnormalities vanished over time.
Other harmless tumors found less often included enostoses, osteochondromas and enchondromas. Each type remained through patients’ last available radiograph, the authors noted
Their findings align with prior studies but also offer the first longitudinal follow-up of benign tumors in this patient population, including the age such findings first appear.
“Despite the inherent limitations of our historical study, it may provide the best available evidence regarding the natural history of asymptomatic benign childhood bone tumors,” Collier concluded.
Read more about the researchers’ findings here.
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.