A 60-year-old Chinese lady presented with a left flank mass and weight loss. Plain films showed a sclerotic L1 vertebral body, osteopenic L2 and L3 vertebral bodies and loss of left psoas outline. However initially unrevealed history of previous carcinoma of the cervix caused confusion as to the aetiology of a sclerotic vertebral body associated with an left flank collection. Psoas abscess with adjacent bony osteomyelitis was initially suspected. The left flank mass turned out to be an infected necrotic large metastatic lymph node compressing the lower pole of the left kidney. The sclerotic and osteopenic vertebral bodies represented an unusual presentation of bony cervical carcinoma metastases.