Search PubMedSearch

PubMed · 1030721

Melorheostosis.

Abstract

Melorheostosis is a seemingly rare condition of unknown etiology. Although it affects bone primarily, it may also involve soft tissue. The lower extremities are most frequently affected, and joints may become stiff as a result of obstruction of joint motion by thickened cortical sclerosis. The disease is difficult to diagnose in the early stages before bone changes become evident, and it is easily misdiagnosed. Surgery may be required to prevent deformity or to restore normal function.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

P M Taylor. 1976. Melorheostosis.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1030721/

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related citations

Radiation for bone metastases: conventional techniques and the role of systemic radiopharmaceuticals.

Pain management often is difficult in patients with bone metastases. Metastatic disease represents >40% of oncologic practice, and >70% of patients with metastatic disease have uncontrolled cancer-related pain. Significant morbidity caused by pathologic fracture and spinal cord compression can result from untreated bone metastases. Representing both a manifestation of systemic disease as well as causing localized symptoms, bone metastases require a multidisciplinary therapeutic approach. Radiation therapy provides both localized and systemic treatment options in addition to chemohormonal therapies and surgery. External beam irradiation provides palliation in >70% of patients through tumor regression of a localized lesion. Systemic radiopharmaceuticals treat multifocal disease either alone or as an adjuvant to external beam irradiation. Efficient and comprehensive management of bone metastases is imperative because of the associated symptoms, prior therapies, complex underlying medical problems, and clinical presentations that often require emergent interventions. Intensification of pain may be observed with hormonal therapy and systemic radiopharmaceuticals. Symptomatic relief from antineoplastic therapies generally requires 4-12 weeks and may be related to reossification. Symptoms, occurring due to the disease and/or while awaiting response to therapy, must be aggressively managed. Persistent or recurrent pain after therapy may be due to bony instability or fracture before reossification occurs. An Interdisciplinary Bone Metastases Clinic, with representatives from Diagnostic Radiology, Medical Oncology, Nuclear Medicine, Orthopedic Surgery, Pain and Symptom Management, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Radiation Oncology, was developed that allows coordinated evaluation, treatment, and symptom management of these complex clinical presentations.

Bone Diseases

Bisphosphonates in multiple myeloma.

The major clinical manifestations of multiple myeloma are related to enhanced bone destruction resulting in osteolytic lesions, osteoporosis, and pathologic fractures in most patients as well as hypercalcemia and spinal cord compression in many individuals. These patients frequently require radiation therapy or surgery. In an attempt to reduce these complications, bisphosphonates have been evaluated in several large randomized trials in patients also receiving chemotherapy. Oral etidronate given daily showed no clinical benefit, whereas the use of oral clodronate daily did reduce the development of new osteolytic lesions but did not significantly affect bone pain or rates of pathologic fractures. A large, randomized, double-blind study was conducted in which Stage III multiple myeloma patients received either pamidronate (90 mg) or placebo as a 4-hour infusion every 4 weeks for 21 cycles in addition to antimyeloma chemotherapy. The proportion of patients with at least one skeletal complication was significantly reduced in the pamidronate group compared with the placebo group. Although survival was not different between the pamidronate and placebo groups overall, patients in whom first-line chemotherapy had failed when they entered the trial lived longer with pamidronate treatment than those receiving placebo. Patients who received pamidronate had significant decreases in bone pain, had less analgesic drug use, and had better Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status than patients receiving placebo. Pamidronate was safe and well tolerated during the trial.

Bone Diseases

Bisphosphonates and breast carcinoma.

The skeleton is a common site of breast carcinoma metastasis; 75% of patients with breast carcinoma demonstrate bone metastases at autopsy. The lytic destruction of bone in these patients is due to excessive osteoclastic activity. By reducing osteoclastic activity, bisphosphonates inhibit bone resorption. Initial studies of breast carcinoma patients were performed with clodronate, a first-generation bisphosphonate. Studies with small cohorts suggested reduction of pain, analgesic requirement, and development of hypercalcemia. A larger randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of oral clodronate 1600 mg/day demonstrated a significant reduction of the combined rate of all morbid skeletal events (significant reduction of the incidence of vertebral fractures, rate of vertebral deformity, and hypercalcemic episodes). Trends were observed that favored clodronate for the treatment of nonvertebral fractures and radiotherapy for relief of bone pain. There was no survival difference between the clodronate and placebo groups (Paterson et al., J Clin Oncol 1993;11:59-65). Pamidronate is a second-generation aminobisphosphonate that is a much more potent inhibitor of osteoclastic activity. Phase II studies again suggested an improvement in many of the skeletal complications of breast carcinoma. Two large Phase III studies have recently been completed. Women with Stage IV breast carcinoma who were receiving cytotoxic chemotherapy (380 patients) or endocrine therapy (371 patients) and had at least 1 lytic bone lesion were given either pamidronate 90 mg as a 2-hour infusion monthly for 2 years or a placebo infusion. After the two studies were pooled, 367 patients treated with pamidronate and 384 patients given placebo were available for analysis. The median time to first complication (pathologic fracture, vertebral collapse, spinal cord compression, or treatment of bone with radiation or surgery) was 12.7 months for the pamidronate patients and 7.0 months for placebo patients (P = 0.001). The time to first fracture was 25.2 months for pamidronate patients and 12.8 months for placebo patients (P = 0.003). The proportion of patients with fracture was 40% for pamidronate vs. 52% for placebo (P = 0.002); the proportion with radiation administered to bone was 29% for pamidronate vs. 43% for placebo (P = 0.001); and the proportion with any skeletal event was 51% for pamidronate vs. 64% for placebo (P = 0.001). The skeletal morbidity rate (the number of complications per year) at 24 months was 2.4 for the pamidronate group and 3.7 for placebo (P = 0.001). Pain and analgesic use was decreased among the pamidronate patients. There was no difference in survival between the groups. Not all patients responded to the same dose of bisphosphonate. Recent data suggests that patients who have a normalization of their urinary excretion of N-telopeptide have a reduced risk of progression of disease in bone and fracture. In summary, the addition of pamidronate to standard chemotherapy or endocrine therapy produces a sustained reduction in skeletal complications in breast carcinoma patients with osteolytic bone metastases.

Bone Diseases