Osteolytic bone lesions in a patient with idiopathic myelofibrosis and bronchial carcinoma.

A 59 year old man with longstanding myelofibrosis and previous splenectomy was incidently found to have a large lytic lesion in his left femur which required operative fixation. He had undergone right upper lobectomy for squamous carcinoma of the bronchus five years earlier. Histological analysis of bone reamings showed no evidence of metastatic carcinoma. Osteosclerosis is frequently noted in patients with myelofibrosis but osteolytic lesions are uncommon and may be confused with metastatic malignancy.