Fatal lung metastasis secondary to index finger giant cell tumor in an 8-year-old child.

We report the case of a 7-year-old girl presenting with giant cell tumor (GCT) of the index finger, complicated by lung metastases. Index disarticulation, pulmonary metastasectomy and chemotherapy failed to produce a cure, and the child died at the age of 8 years after 1 year's evolution. The pulmonary metastases were discovered following hypoxia during initial biopsy. A review of the literature shows this observation to be original, in terms of the patient's age and of the location, onset and fatal outcome of metastasis. The hypoxic episode complicating biopsy raises the issue of early screening for lung metastases in GCT. Pulmonary dissemination of GCT is of severe prognosis. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.