Aneurysmal Bone Cyst - Causes

Causes

Aneurysmal bone cyst has been widely regarded a reactive process of uncertain etiology since its initial description by Jaffe and Lichtenstein in 1942. Many hypotheses have been proposed to explain the etiology and pathogenesis of aneurysmal bone cyst, and until very recently the most commonly accepted idea was that aneurysmal bone cyst was the consequence of an increased venous pressure and resultant dilation and rupture of the local vascular network. However, studies by Panoutsakopoulus et al. and Oliveira et al. uncovered the clonal neoplastic nature of aneurysmal bone cyst. Primary etiology has been regarded arteriovenous fistula within bone.

The lesion may arise de novo or may arise secondarily within a pre-existing bone tumor, this is because of the abnormal bones changes in hemodynamics. An aneurysmal bone cyst can arise from a pre-existing chondroblastoma, a chondromyxoid fibroma, an osteoblastoma, a giant cell tumor, or fibrous dysplasia. A giant cell tumor is the most common cause, occurring in 19% to 39% of cases. Less frequently, it results from some malignant tumors, such as osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, and hemangioendothelioma.