Chondrosarcoma of calcanaeum in a 12-year-old male patient: A case report

Calcaneal chondrosarcoma: a case report

The objective was to report on a rare case of chondrosarcoma of the bones of the foot, and specifically the calcaneus. The patient was a 30-year-old woman with a complaint of painless nodulation on the lateral face of the calcaneus, which she had had for around eight years, which then started to present significant pain. Radiography showed a tumor with imprecise limits, compromising the calcaneus, talus and lateral malleolus. The lesion had a destructive, aggressive and osteolytic appearance, with invasion of the surrounding soft tissues and the presence of points of calcification. Amputation was performed in the middle third of the right lower leg, with a histological diagnosis of chondrosarcoma. The case evolved with local recurrence of the tumor formation and subsequent amputation in the middle third of the right thigh. One year after the second amputation, the patient evolved with metastasis from the chondrosarcoma in soft tissues throughout the body and in the lungs, and she died one year and ten months after the diagnosis was made. Chondrosarcomas that involve the calcaneus are rare in young adults, with few reports in the literature. For this reason, the present report becomes important in that it shows that even though this is a rare condition, it is present in our environment. Early investigation is essential, especially by means of imaging examinations, with the aim of diminishing the chances of malignant transformation and consequent complications, so as to avoid death.

Chondrosarcoma of the proximal phalanx of the fourth digit: a rare location

Introduction

Cartilaginous tumors involving the small bones of the hands and feet are usually benign such as enchondroma, chondromyxoid fibroma and chondroblastoma. The small bones of the hands and feet are rarely involved by primary chondrosarcoma. Proximal phalanges are the most common sites in the hands, but the fourth digit is the least common site.

Case Presentation

We report a case of a 76-year-old Greek female who presented to our hospital with a painful swollen mass measuring 4.5 × 2.6 cm on the fourth digit of the left hand. The radiograph showed a destructive, permeative lytic tumor of the proximal phalanx with extension into soft tissue. The patient underwent curettage, and the microscopic examination of the specimen revealed grade 2 chondrosarcoma.

Conclusion

Cartilaginous tumors involving the small bones of the hands and feet are usually benign such as enchondroma, chondromyxoid fibroma and chondroblastoma. Primary chondrosarcoma is the third most common malignancy of bone after myeloma and osteosarcoma, but the small bones of the hands and feet are very rarely involved by chondrosarcoma (1% of all chondrosarcoma). However, in these cases differentiation between a benign lesion and chondrosarcoma may be difficult. Occasionally chondrosarcoma of the hands and feet is associated with multiple recurrences or distal metastasis.

Primary chondrosarcoma of ethmoid bone in a 6-year-old child

Chondrosarcoma (CS) is a distinctly uncommon tumor in young patients and tends to be located in the extremities. Cartilaginous tumors in young patients are benign tumors. We report a case of a childhood CS in a 6-year-old boy who presented with right-sided proptosis. Radiological examination revealed a large destructive mass in right ethmoidal sinus extending into the surrounding sphenoidal sinus, intracranially, and the into right orbit, causing proptosis. Biopsy of the mass showed characteristic features of a well-differentiated CS. There are no reports of CS presenting as proptosis and arising from ethmoid bone. This case highlights the rarity of this tumor with regard to age of presentation and site of origin.

Calcaneal tumors and tumor-like conditions

Approximately 3% of osseous tumors occur in the foot and ankle. Solitary bone cysts, chondroblastoma, intraosseous lipoma, osteoid osteoma, chondrosarcoma, and Ewing's sarcoma seem to have a predilection for the calcaneus. Biopsy is often a crucial step in management. Tumor-like conditions, such as cysts, reactive lesions, and osteomyelitis, must be considered during evaluation. Treatment is often observation or curettage of benign lesions and resection or amputation for malignancies.