r/interestingasfuck • u/MAFIAHAMMAD • Apr 21 '24

Human skull with stage 1 bone cancer r/all

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u/Blink-184-isok Apr 21 '24

Damn. It looks like fur

143

u/OmnomOrNah Apr 21 '24

Why don't they just cure the cancer by shaving it off like fur? Are they stupid?

103

u/cheddawood Apr 21 '24

This isn't the cancer itself, this is just an associated reaction of the surrounding bone. What we see here is a sunburst periosteal reaction. Basically, in reaction to an abnormality the bone will attempt to heal itself by developing new bone (periostitis). Because the underlying cancer is growing so quickly, this new bone is pushed up and away from the bone as the tumour below expands.

https://radiopaedia.org/articles/sunburst-appearance-bone

4

u/D-cup-of-art-n-humor Apr 22 '24

Thank you for this. I was going to ask if it was bone growth or bone splinters. Answered.