High-grade squamous cell carcinoma arising in a tibial adamantinoma

Adamantinoma of the long bones is a rare, typically low-grade malignant tumor that frequently involves the tibia. Radiographically, adamantinoma is characteristically a lytic, intracortical, and expansile lesion with variable margins. Histologically, adamantinoma is a bimorphic neoplasm, composed of epithelial and osteofibrous elements. Herein, we describe a 72-year-old man with a long-standing tibial mass that, on imaging, rapidly developed cortical destruction with soft tissue extension. Imaging revealed no evidence of a distant site of origin. Needle core biopsy demonstrated high-grade squamous cell carcinoma, and metastasis was initially favored. However, the combined clinicoradiologic and pathologic features were most compatible with a high-grade squamous cell carcinoma arising in adamantinoma. The diagnosis was confirmed in the resection specimen. Both the age at presentation and histologic features make this case unusual and highlight a potential for misdiagnosis in the evaluation of squamous cell carcinoma–containing lesions of the tibia, reinforcing the importance of clinicoradiologic correlation in bone pathology.