Morphological typing of chondrosarcoma: a study of 94 cases

[Cartilage tumors: morphology, genetics, and current aspects of target therapy]

Cartilage tumors are a heterogeneous group of mesenchymal tumors whose common characteristic is the formation of a chondroblastic differentiated groundsubstance by the tumor cells. The basic features of their histological classification were already developed in the 1940s and supplemented by further entities in the following decades. Only in the past 10-15 years have fundamental new insights been gained through molecular genetic analysis. So, osteochondromas are characterized by alterations in the EXT1 and EXT2 genes. The description of mutations of isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 and 2 (IDH 1 and 2) in chondromas and chondrosarcomas is particularly important. The mesenchymal chondrosarcoma is characterized by a fusion of the HEY1-NCOA2 genes. The molecular genetic alterations characteristic for the individual tumor entities are first of all an essential supplement for the differential diagnosis of radiologically and histologically difficult cases. They also provide the basis for the establishment of molecular target therapies for malignant chondrogenic tumors. This applies in particular to conventional chondrosarcoma, for which all approaches to chemo- and radiotherapy have proven to be ineffective. However, the use of target therapies is still in its beginnings.

[Musculoskeletal tumors: significance of morphological diagnostics]

Musculoskeletal tumors, particularly bone neoplasms, are very rare. Diagnosis and treatment require an interdisciplinary concept as well as wide experience of all physicians involved. The final histopathologic diagnosis should not be confirmed without information regarding the patient's age, exact localization, and radiological findings. The requirements of additional diagnostic procedures (molecular pathology) have to be taken into consideration when planning a biopsy.

[Low-grade central chondrosarcoma: difficult diagnosis in an adolescent girl]

Central chondrosarcoma of the tibia is exceptional, particularly in young patients. Low-grade tumors raise difficult problems for histological distinction with enchondroma. We report a case of grade 1 chondrosarcoma located in the upper portion of the tibia in a 17-year-old girl. After radical surgery, outcome was favorable with no recurrence or metastasis at three years follow-up. The distinction between low-grade central chondrosarcoma and enchondroma is one of the most difficult challenges in bone pathology. Clinical, radiographic and pathological data must be considered together to reach certain diagnosis.

Dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma--a fatal disease

BACKGROUND

We report on 13 patients with dedifferentiated chondrosarcomas. The mean age of the patients at diagnosis was 59.8 years. Nine patients were classified as stage IIB and four as stage III.

METHODS

In 11/13 cases surgery was performed. Mostly, limb salvage with tumour resection and implantation of a megaprosthesis was done; three patients needed amputation or disarticulation. In one out of three patients with a pelvic tumour resection was followed by implantation of a pelvic replacement; the other two patients received tumour resection with autologous stabilisation of the pelvis. Surgical margins were wide in six patients, marginal in two and intralesional in three. Adjuvant chemotherapy was given to five patients.

RESULTS

Recurrence was detected in 5/11 of the patients operated on: in two with wide, in one with marginal, and in two with intralesional resection. No recurrence was seen in 5/11 patients: in four after wide and in one after marginal resection. In one patient the stage was unknown. At follow-up 11 patients were dead of disease (DOD), one dead of unknown reason (DOU) and one alive with disease (AWD). The mean survival time was 9.7 months. Metastasis to different anatomical sites was evident after a period of 10 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results resemble those reported in the literature. DDCS is rare and is the primary malignant bone tumour with the worst prognosis. Surgery is the most important procedure, although it is unclear whether a radical resection improves the long-term results. Information regarding neoadjuvant and/or adjuvant therapy with chemotherapy is very limited.

Clear cell chondrosarcoma of the proximal femur with intrapelvic extension

Clear cell chondrosarcoma is a rare tumor that can be easily confused with benign tumors. The aim of this report is to present a case that is rare, initially diagnosed as aneurysmal bone cyst and then chondroblastoma, and has an interesting extension pattern. A 41-year-old male patient was treated for an apparently benign cystic lesion of the right proximal femur by intralesional excision and bone grafting. The pathological diagnosis was aneurysmal bone cyst. Two years later, the patient presented with a pathological fracture at the same site and a total hip arthroplasty was performed. The pathological specimen was diagnosed as chondroblastoma. Three years later, clinical and radiological examination of the patient revealed a large mass located on the intrapelvic side of the acetabulum. There was no evidence of distant metastases. Both tumors were resected with a wide margin on the femoral side and a marginal margin on the intrapelvic side. The extremity was reconstructed with a resection-type total hip prosthesis. Again, the pathological diagnosis was chondroblastoma. The patient developed a deep infection that was treated by antibiotic therapy and surgical debridement. One year later, there was recurrence of the femoral and intrapelvic masses and right hemipelvectomy was performed; the specimen was reported as clear cell chondrosarcoma. Since then, the patient has been leading an active life, and there is no evidence of local recurrence or distant metastasis. Clinically and pathologically, clear cell chondrosarcoma may be confused with benign bone tumors. This caused a delay in the final diagnosis of this patient and he received inadequate surgical treatment, leading to a hemipelvectomy. We also found that the intrapelvic mass seemed to have developed independently on the intrapelvic side of the acetabulum. We were unable to find an exact explanation for this finding and postulated that tumor cells might have been seeded into the inner wall of the acetabulum during acetabular preparation of the total hip prosthesis.

Dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma of the larynx

Dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma is an uncommon malignant cartilaginous neoplasm of bone characterized by the presence of a malignant spindle cell neoplasm associated with a low- or medium-grade chondrosarcoma. Origin of this tumor in the cartilagenous framework of the larynx is very rare. A 60-year-old male with a 2-year history of hoarseness and dyspnea was examined while presenting in acute airway distress. Direct laryngoscopy revealed a mass of the right side of the larynx. Histopathologic examination revealed a malignant cartilaginous tumor with a malignant spindle cell component. We report a case of dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma arising in the thyroid cartilage. This, to our knowledge, is the eleventh fully documented case of this neoplasm arising in the larynx.

Chondrosarcoma of bone: an oncological and functional follow-up study

We retrospectively analysed the course of 42 out of 45 patients suffering from different chondrosarcomas which were treated surgically. We found a prospective 5- and 10-year survival of 64% for both time intervals. Follow-up examination was possible in 21 of 45 patients. Most of them were staged as NED, one as AWD, and 8 of 45 were lost to follow-up. From 16 dead patients 12 died of the disease and 4 of unknown but not to tumor related reasons. Survival was depending significantly on the histopathological grade, and the stage according to Enneking's surgical staging system. Eleven out of forty-five patients developed metastases within a mean period of twelve months after surgery. The survival of these patients was significantly reduced. Patients with centrally located tumors exhibited a distinct but non-significant worse survival than those suffering from peripheral tumors. In 18% (8 of 45) recurrence of the tumor was evident within a mean period of 24 months (5-85). Functional evaluation was performed in 21 out of 28 alive patients. After a mean follow-up time of 72 months the mean score was 64% (23-100). Females exhibited a distinct but non-significant better result, the same was observed for peripheral locations compared to centrally located tumors. Regarding age, grade, and line of resection no tendency of any dependence was detected, but worst results were seen in those with a stage III tumor and dedifferentiated CS.

Chondrosarcoma of the larynx: the role of radiotherapy revisited--a case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Experience in the treatment of laryngeal chondrosarcoma is based on about 250 cases reported to date. The standard therapy is conservative surgery. Radiotherapy has universally been regarded as ineffective in the treatment of this disease.

METHODS

A patient with a laryngeal chondrosarcoma was observed for 11 years after radical radiotherapy. The literature on laryngeal chondrosarcoma was critically reviewed, with emphasis placed on radiotherapy.

RESULTS

The review of the literature revealed that experience with radiotherapy of laryngeal chondrosarcoma has been lacking, with fewer than 10 cases with short follow-up documented up to now. Meanwhile, increasing evidence of the efficacy of radiotherapy in the treatment of skeletal chondrosarcoma has emerged. The authors report the first case of chondrosarcoma of the larynx in which radical radiotherapy resulted in a long term remission of more than 10 years.

CONCLUSIONS

Radiotherapy should be considered when radical surgery is not feasible without severe mutilation. It should also be considered for the treatment of residual disease. Laryngectomy should be restricted to salvage treatment when radiotherapy fails. In this study, radiotherapy appeared to be an effective modality in the treatment of low grade laryngeal chondrosarcoma, and these results contrast with the current widespread disapproval of this treatment.

Cytogenetic study of extraskeletal mesenchymal chondrosarcoma. A case report

Extraskeletal mesenchymal chondrosarcoma (EMC) is a rare and highly malignant type of chondrosarcoma of soft tissue origin. We performed a cytogenetic study on a patient with EMC. Cytogenetic analysis revealed the tumor karyotype: 48-49,XX, t(4;9)(q23;q22), add(10)(q?26), +16, ?del(19)(p13), +1-2mar[cp12] / 48-50,idem, t(1;20)(q21;q13), +mar[cp6] / 46,XX [7].

Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma of the foot, an unusual location: case report and review of the literature

We present a case of primary mesenchymal chondrosarcoma of the proximal phalanx of the first toe. The bones of the foot represent an infrequent primary site for this neoplasm. The tumour consisted of layers of undifferentiated round cells with scanty cytoplasm and hyperchromatic nuclei. The presence of brain, lung, and left auricle metastasis was demonstrated, and the patient died due to brain edema 18 days after admission. Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma is a rare tumor that more frequently involves the pelvic bones, the femur, and the humerus. To our knowledge, only nine cases of primary mesenchymal chondrosarcoma arising from the bones of the foot have been previously reported, with none involving the phalanx of the toe.

Successful chemoradiation therapy for high-grade skull base chondrosarcoma in a child

High-grade chondrosarcoma in the skull base has been known to be extremely refractory to adjuvant therapy. We report successful chemoradiation therapy for skull base chondrosarcoma in a child. The patient was a 6-year-old boy with an invasive skull base tumor. In spite of gross total removal of the tumor, it recurred 1 month after surgery. Following an intra-arterial injection of adriamycin (10 mg), the second gross total removal was carried out. At the end of the operation, cisplatin (20 mg) was locally injected into the surgical cavity. The patient was further given a total of six courses of systemic chemotherapy in combination with adriamycin (30 mg/m2) and cisplatin (100 mg/m2) and 55 Gy focal irradiation. One year after the most recent surgery, the patient is in complete remission. The efficacy of adjuvant therapy of this rare tumor is discussed.

Dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma with t(9;22)(q34;q11-12)

Translocation t(9;22)(q22-31;q11-12) is associated with the myxoid variant of chondrosarcoma. We present here a report of a patient with a dedifferentiated grade IV chondrosarcoma, which originated from the iliac bone and contained areas of grade I chondrosarcoma. There was no evidence of myxoid differentiation. The tumor had the karyotype 46,X,-X,t(9;22)(q34;q11-12), + mar[5]/52-61,x?,2-3 min,inc[9]/46,XX[2]. It is possible that the different breakpoints in the t(9;22) may reflect different histopathologic subgroups of chondrosarcoma.

A mesenchymal chondrosarcoma of a child with the reciprocal translocation (11;22)(q24;q12)

The reciprocal translocation (11;22)(q24;q12) was observed in a seven day culture from a mesenchymal chondrosarcoma of the bone, a tumor not characterized cytogenetically so far. We suggest that because of the presence of a similar cytogenetic abnormality, mesenchymal chondrosarcoma may belong to the wide group of "t(11;22)-small round cell tumors".