CASE-REPORT - MALIGNANCY IN PIGMENTED VILLONODULAR SYNOVITIS

Malignant pigmented villonodular synovitis is an extremely rare and co ntroversial disease. We describe malignant change in pigmented villono dular synovitis of the ankle in a patient with an unusually long clini cal history. Symptoms began at age 21, metastatic disease developed at age 85, and the patient died 1 year later. The histologic appearance of the malignant tumor differed from that in most reported cases, in t hat spindle-shaped cells predominated. Lymph node metastasis also deve loped, a feature uncommon to soft tissue sarcomas.