Benign Tumours of the Bone: A Review

Benign tumours of the bone are not cancerous and would not metastasise to other regions of the body. However, they can occur in any part of the skeleton, and can still be dangerous as they may grow and compress healthy bone tissue. There are several types of benign tumours that can be classified by the type of matrix that the tumour cells produce; such as bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue, fat or blood vessel. Overall, 8 different types can be distinguished: osteochondroma, osteoma, osteoid osteoma, osteoblastoma, giant cell tumour, aneurysmal bone cyst, fibrous dysplasia and enchondroma. The incidence of benign bone tumours varies depending on the type. However, they most commonly arise in people less than 30 years old, often triggered by the hormones that stimulate normal growth. The most common type is osteochondroma. This review discusses the different types of common benign tumours of the bone based on information accumulated from published literature.