There is a limited differential for expansile vascular bony metastases, namely:
- renal cell carcinoma
- thyroid cancer
- hepatocellular carcinoma
- pheochromocytoma
- melanoma
- gastric carcinoma
For this specific case, the gastrectomy was performed due to adhesions secondary to previous colonic resection for colorectal cancer rather than gastric carcinoma.
The rib metastasis was subsequently biopsied, histopathology is in keeping with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma, which is the most common type of renal cell carcinoma.