Bone marrow edema aids diagnosis and prognosis

Bone marrow edema is not the major component of histological anomalies in most situations. For this reason, some authors prefer “bone marrow edema-like” signal or abnormalities.2 Its physiopathology is unclear and varies with the underlying pathological condition. Bone marrow edema may be apparent in a variety of anomalies that correspond to their etiologies (e.g., necrosis, fibrosis, hemorrhage, inflammation). Cytokines play an important role in the formation of bone marrow edema. This could explain the link between bone marrow edema and pain, as well as the effect of treatments such as corticosteroids or anti-tumor-necrosis-factor-α (anti-TNFα) on the expression of cytokines. Peritumoral edema in bone tumors correlates with the level of prostaglandins and with the expression of cyclo-oxygenase-2, which is implicated in prostaglandin synthesis.3