Bone Involvement in Hyperphosphatemic Familial Tumoral Calcinosis: A New Phenotypic Presentation

Mutations in FGF(23), KL, and GALNT(3) have been identified as the cause for the development of hyperphosphatemic familial tumoral calcinosis (HFTC). Patients with HFTC typically present in childhood or adolescence with periarticular soft tissue deposits that eventually progress to disrupt normal joint articulation. Mutations in the GALNT(3) gene were shown to account for the hyperphosphatemic state in both HFTC and hyperostosis-hyperphosphatemia syndrome (HHS), the latter characterized by bone involvement. We present the case of a patient of a Druze ethnic origin with known HFTC that presented to our department with the first documented case of pathologic fracture occurring secondary to the disease. Our report introduces this new phenotypic presentation, suggests a potential role for prophylactic bone screening, and highlights the need for preconception genetic screening in selected populations.