Oncogenic osteomalacia caused by a phosphaturic mesenchymal tumor of the femur: A case report

BACKGROUND: Oncogenic osteomalacia caused by phosphaturic mesenchymal tumors is very difficult to detect. We report a case of tumor-induced osteomalacia caused by a phosphaturic mesenchymal tumor of the left femur in a middle-aged woman after medical imaging and biopsy. CASE SUMMARY: A 57-year-old woman presented with progressive bone pain for five years. She was diagnosed with hypophosphatemic osteomalacia, as her laboratory data showed low serum phosphorus and low serum calcium. Her knee joint radiography revealed an osteolytic lesion of the left femur. A computed tomography scan showed mixed density shadows in the left femur. Magnetic resonance imaging of the left femur showed the presence of an oval area with a hypointense signal in T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and high-low mixed signal in T2-weighted MRI. Biopsy samples revealed the presence of short spindle cells, vascularization, and characteristics of phosphaturic mesenchymal tumors. Tumor resection was performed, and the clinical presentations and laboratory abnormalities were reversed. CONCLUSION: Diagnosis of oncogenic osteomalacia is difficult due to the varieties and localization of source tumors and absence of pathognomonic biomedical signs. Our case highlights the importance of a combination of medical imaging and biopsy in the diagnosis of oncogenic osteomalacia caused by a phosphaturic mesenchymal tumor.