Introduction

Benign tumours of the musculoskeletal system are common and frequently show up as an incidental finding on an X-ray taken for other reasons. Metastases in the skeleton are also common, particularly from carcinoma of the breast, the prostate and the kidney. Primary malignant tumours of the musculoskeletal system are rare, apart from those arising from the marrow such as multiple myeloma and lymphoma.

Tumours are named after the tissue from which they have arisen. They can be identified from their shape and their staining. Benign tumours are give the suffix ‘oma’ and malignant tumours ‘sarcoma’ (see Table 25.1).