We reviewed the cases of seven patients with histologically benign
primary giant-cell tumor of bone and histologically proved metastases to
the lung. All seven had a Stage-3, aggressive, benign lesion with
interruption of the cortex and soft-tissue extension. The main histological
features of the primary lesion were identical to those of the pulmonary
metastases. In only one of the seven patients were the metastases detected
simultaneously with the primary lesion. All seven patients were treated by
surgical resection of the lung nodules and chemotherapy. Of the seven
patients, four were alive and free of disease after an average follow-up of
nine years; two were receiving chemotherapy; and one, who had had
immunosuppression for an allograft transplant, died less than one year
after the discovery of the pulmonary lesions. Based on this small series,
we concluded that patients with a Stage-3 giant-cell tumor of bone may be
at risk for pulmonary spread of the disease. This lesion, with its benign
histological picture even in lung lesions, has a favorable prognosis when
treated with pulmonary resection of the nodules. However, the role for
chemotherapy after pulmonary surgery is still unclear.