Abstract

BACKGROUND:
Skeleton is the one of the commonest sites of secondary cancer, it is seen more frequently than
all primary bone tumors together. Vertebrae, pelvis and proximal parts of long bone are more
involved by secondary metastasis. Breast cancer is the commonest cause of primary tumor
followed by Prostatic carcinoma. Despite the advances in diagnosis but still about 10 % of
cases remain as secondary with undetermined primary site.
OBJECTIVE:
To disclose the distribution of bone metastasis and their primary site among Iraqi patients.
PATIENTS AND METHOD:
102 patient were enrolled in a retrospective study conducted in medical city complex in
Baghdad/ Iraq from January 1990- July 2000.
Patient are either known to have primary malignant tumor and discovered to have secondary
metastasis to bone as part of the routine screen or development of symptoms suggestive of
bone metastasis, the other group of patients are presented with bone metastasis. All patients
are subjected to intensive medical history and proved their secondary metastasis by excisional
biopsy or fine needle aspiration with histopathological diagnosis
RESULTS:
The mean age of our patients was 41 years, with range (2-80 years), men were commonly
involved than women, the peak incidence of metastasis was in 1991. Vertebral bodies are
commonly involved and lungs are the most common primary site
CONCLUSION:
Well differentiated columnar adenocarcinoma is the commonest histopathological type of
malignant tumor metastases to bones, lungs are the most common primary site. Undetermined
primary tumors are still consist a diagnostic problem in our daily practice more cooperative
team work is needed to disclose the final diagnosis