Preoperative radiographic and histopathologic evaluation of central chondrosarcoma

Chondrosarcoma: A Clinical Review

Chondrosarcomas are a diverse group of malignant cartilaginous matrix-producing neoplasms. Conventional chondrosarcomas are a continuum of disease based on the biologic activity of the tumor. The tumors range from the relatively biologically benign low-grade tumors or intermediate atypical cartilaginous tumors (ACTs), to malignant, aggressive high-grade tumors. The clinical presentation, radiographic and pathologic findings, treatments and outcomes vary significantly based on the histologic grade of the tumor. Chondrosarcomas present a diagnostic dilemma, particularly in the differentiation between high- and intermediate-grade tumors and that of low-grade tumors from benign enchondromas. A multidisciplinary team at a tertiary sarcoma centre allows for optimal care of these patients.

Management of pelvic sarcoma

Pelvic sarcomas are a rare and heterogenous group of tumors divided into two groups: soft tissue sarcomas and bone sarcomas. Soft tissue sarcomas of the pelvis include most commonly liposarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors, and solitary fibrous tumors. Bone sarcomas of the pelvis most commonly include osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma. Multidisciplinary treatment at a center experienced in the treatment of sarcoma is essential. Management is dictated by histologic type and grade. Surgical resection with wide margins is the cornerstone of treatment for pelvic sarcomas, although this is often challenging due to anatomic constraints of the pelvis. Multimodal treatment is critical due to the high risk of local recurrence in the pelvis.

Refractory recurrent spinal chondrosarcoma: What is the role of salvage surgery?

BACKGROUND

The spinal chondrosarcoma has high risk of recurrence if the initial surgery is not performed in an en bloc fashion. It remains technically demanding to surgically manage the refractory recurrent spinal chondrosarcoma (RRSC). This study is to assess the clinical features and investigate the prognostic factors for patients with RRSCs.

METHODS

forty-nine patients with RRSCs underwent salvage surgeries in our institution, and the clinical characteristics were collected and recorded by two independent reviewers. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to investigate the independent prognostic factors of recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) for patients with RRSCs.

RESULTS

During the mean follow-up of 31.7 ± 21.04 months (Range 9-93), the 3-year RFS and OS rate was 24.5% and 34.5%, respectively. According to the Cox proportional hazards regression model, wide excision with tumor-free margin (>4 mm) was associated with both better RFS and OS for patients with RRSCs. Meanwhile, the number of recurrences ≤2 was beneficial to RFS, while high pathological grade was correlated with worse OS.

CONCLUSIONS

Wide excision with tumor-free margin (>4 mm) is recommendable if appropriate in the salvage surgery for patients with RRSCs. Patients with number of recurrences ≤ 2 and lower pathological grade may have better RFS and OS, respectively.

MRI-histopathological correlation in paediatric conventional central chondrosarcoma: a report of 17 cases

OBJECTIVE

To describe the MRI features of paediatric conventional central chondrosarcoma (CC-CS) and correlate with histological grade.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective review of children/adolescents with histologically confirmed CC-CS. Data collected included age, sex, skeletal location, and histology from needle biopsy or resection, which was classified as atypical cartilaginous tumours/grade 1 CS (ACT/Gd 1 CS), high-grade chondrosarcoma (HGCS), and dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma (DD-CS). MRI studies were reviewed independently by 2 radiologists blinded to the histology grade, who graded the tumours as ACT/Gd 1 CS, HGCS, and DD-CS based on MRI features.

RESULTS

The study included 7 males and 10 females with mean age 13.9 years (range 6-18 years). Tumours were located in the femur (n = 6), humerus (n = 3), tibia, ilium, scapula, and ulna (n = 1 each), and the small bones of the hands or feet (n = 4). Final histology grade was ACT/Gd 1 CS in 15 cases and HGCS in 2 (both grade 1 CS with focal transition to grade 2), 15 based on surgical specimens, 1 based on open biopsy, and 1 on needle biopsy alone. Predicted MRI grade for the 2 readers was ACT/Gd 1 CS in 11 cases each and HGCS in 6 cases each, indicating a mismatch between predicted MRI grade and histological grade in 8 (47%) cases (4 cases with one reader mismatch and 4 cases with both).

CONCLUSIONS

MRI findings in paediatric CC-CS may be misleading, showing features suggestive of HGCS 7 of 17 (41.2%) of cases. This should be taken into consideration when planning surgical treatment.

Chordoma of the sacrum and mobile spine: a narrative review

Chordoma is a notochord-derived primary tumor of the skull base and vertebral column known to affect 0.08 to 0.5 per 100,000 persons worldwide. Patients commonly present with mechanical, midline pain with or without radicular features secondary to nerve root compression. Management of these lesions has classically revolved around oncologic resection, defined by en bloc resection of the lesion with negative margins as this was found to significantly improve both local control and overall survival. With advancement in radiation modalities, namely the increased availability of focused photon therapy and proton beam radiation, high-dose (>50 Gy) neoadjuvant or adjuvant radiotherapy is also becoming a standard of care. At present chemotherapy does not appear to have a role, but ongoing investigations into the ontogeny and molecular pathophysiology of chordoma promise to identify therapeutic targets that may further alter this paradigm. In this narrative review we describe the epidemiology, histopathology, diagnosis, and treatment of chordoma.

The importance of MRI review following the diagnosis of atypical cartilaginous tumour using image-guided needle biopsy

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the role of pre-biopsy MRI for management planning in patients with atypical cartilaginous tumours (ACT) diagnosed on image-guided core needle biopsy (IGCNB).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Retrospective review of patients diagnosed with ACT of the appendicular skeleton based on IGCNB who subsequently underwent surgical curettage or resection. Data collected included age, sex, skeletal location and surgical histology classified as ACT, high-grade chondrosarcoma (HG-CS) and dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma (DD-CS). Pre-biopsy MRI studies were reviewed independently by 2 radiologists blinded to surgical histology results and graded as ACT, HG-CS and DD-CS based on MRI features.

RESULTS

The study included 24 males and 28 females (mean age 42.1 years; range 9-76 years). One patient had 2 lesions treated, making a total of 53 lesions. Tumours were located in the femur in 21 cases, humerus in 17, tibia in 9, radius in 4 and ulna and fibula in 1 each. Surgical histology was ACT in 41 cases, HG-CS in 10 and DD-CS in 2, indicating mismatch between IGCNB and surgical histology in 12/53 cases (22.6%). Predicted MRI grade for the 2 readers was ACT in 39 cases each, HG-CS in 13 and 14 cases and DD-CS in 1 and 0 cases. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of MRI for predicting HG-CS/DD-CS were 91%, 93% and 92%, respectively. Inter-observer correlation was very good (kappa = 0.94).

DISCUSSION

Review of MRI findings in patients with ACT diagnosed on IGCNB is vital for identifying patients with a HG-CS/DD-CS and is recommended when planning surgical management or considering repeat IGCNB.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Role in the Differentiation Between Atypical Cartilaginous Tumors and High-Grade Chondrosarcoma: An Updated Systematic Review

Chondrosarcoma (CS) is a malignant tumor affecting the bones while atypical cartilaginous tumors (ACTs) are chondral tumors with moderate cellularity, mild atypia, and with myxoid changes and mild metastatic ability. Both can have one of the worst prognoses if not identified early enough. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been one of the modalities to detect such tumors and we aim to determine the common characteristic and features to be seen while screening for CS or ACTs. We conducted a systematic review of the previously published reports that investigated the diagnostic ability of MRI and the reported characteristics that can differentiate between ACTs and high-grade chondrosarcomas (HGCS). A comprehensive relevant database search was performed to include all the relevant studies. Among these studies, seven studies investigated the overall accuracy in the classification of the different chondroma types. Additionally, many studies reported the characteristic findings of each tumor according to the MRI results. These characteristics mainly included trapped fat, bone marrow edema, cortical damage, and soft-tissue expansion. Therefore, further attention should be given to these criteria for better assessment, differentiation, and favorable outcomes. MRI can efficiently identify some of the characteristics of both ACTs and HGCS. However, combining it with other radiological modalities may lead to a better differentiation. The detection of ACTs and HGCS lesions with MRI solely has been doubted before in the literature.

Can MRI differentiate between atypical cartilaginous tumors and high-grade chondrosarcoma? A systematic review

Background and purpose - Adequate staging of chondroid tumors at diagnosis is important as it determines both treatment and outcome. This systematic review provides an overview of MRI criteria used to differentiate between atypical cartilaginous tumors (ACT) and high-grade chondrosarcoma (HGCS).Patients and methods - For this systematic review PubMed and Embase were searched, from inception of the databases to July 12, 2018. All original articles describing MRI characteristics of pathologically proven primary central chondrosarcoma and ACT were included. A quality appraisal of the included papers was performed. Data on MRI characteristics and histological grade were extracted by 2 reviewers. Meta-analysis was performed if possible. The study is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42018067959.Results - Our search identified 2,132 unique records, of which 14 studies were included. 239 ACT and 140 HGCS were identified. The quality assessment showed great variability in consensus criteria used for both pathologic and radiologic diagnosis. Due to substantial heterogeneity we refrained from pooling the results in a meta-analysis and reported non-statistical syntheses. Loss of entrapped fatty marrow, cortical breakthrough, and extraosseous soft tissue expansion appeared to be present more often in HGCS compared with ACT.Interpretation - This systematic review provides an overview of MRI characteristics used to differentiate between ACT and HGCS. Future studies are needed to develop and assess more reliable imaging methods and/or features to differentiate ACT from HGCS.

The impact of biopsy sampling errors and the quality of surgical margins on local recurrence and survival in chondrosarcoma

Purpose

To examine the frequency of computed tomography (CT)-guided biopsy sampling errors in chondrosarcomas, as well as the impact of these errors and the achieved surgical margins on local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS).

Material and methods

A total of 68 consecutive patients treated for chondrosarcoma from 2000–2015 were retrospectively reviewed with a minimum follow-up duration of 2 years.

Results

The primary location was at the extremities in 46 patients (67.6%) and at the axial skeleton in 22 patients (32.4%). Seven patients underwent planned intralesional curettage. Surgical margins were assessed in the remaining 53 patients and included 21 wide (39.6%), 25 marginal (47.1%), and seven intralesional (13.2%) resections. Biopsy sampling errors occurred in ten patients (14.7%). LRFS was 82.2±7.8% at 5 years and 76.9±7.8% at 10 years. An intact anatomical barrier was associated with the most preferable LRFS of 89±10.5% after 10 years. DSS was 79.2±8.5% at 5 years and 75.5±6.4% at 10 years. The metric distance of the surgical margin and the presence of a biopsy sampling error did not affect either LRFS or DSS.

Conclusion

Even though histological grading in chondrosarcoma is difficult, sampling errors in preoperative biopsies are relatively rare and do not adversely affect outcomes. The presence of an anatomical barrier has a greater impact on LRFS than the metric distance of the surgical margins.

Expression of MMP-9 decreases metastatic potential of Chondrosarcoma: an immunohistochemical study

Background

Chondrosarcoma is the second most common primary malignant bone tumor. Because of their heterogeneity, with differences in invasive and metastatic behavior, it is important to identify biological markers that will allow for a more accurate estimation of prognosis in patients with these tumors.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) play a crucial role in tumor progression, invasion and metastasis. The mechanism of tumor progression dependent of MMPs is complex and influences malignant transformation, angiogenesis and tumor growth at the primary and metastatic sites. The purpose of this study was to investigate immunohistochemicaly the influence of MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-9 and MMP-13 expression on prognostic parameter in chondrosarcoma.

Methods

We investigated tissue samples of 28 patients with chondrosarcoma. Immunohistochemical staining to evaluate the expression of MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-9 and MMP-13 was performed. Subsequently, the expression level was correlated with metastatic potential, histological grading and overall survival in patients with this neoplasm.

Results

In consideration of semi quantitative scoring 64% of chondrosarcoma were scored as positive for MMP-1, 46% for MMP-3, 61% for MMP-9. The specimens had shown no expression of MMP-13. High expression of MMP-9 was associated with better histological differentiation, decreased metastatic potential and favourable overall survival. No correlation was found for expression of MMP-1, MMP-3 or MMP-13.

Conclusions

MMP-1, MMP-3 and MMP-9 are expressed in chondrosarcoma. Our findings suggest that the expression of MMP-9 is associated with clinical outcome parameters in chondrosarcoma.

Is Needle Biopsy Clinically Useful in Preoperative Grading of Central Chondrosarcoma of the Pelvis and Long Bones?

BACKGROUND

Central chondrosarcoma of bone is graded on a scale of 1 to 3 according to histological criteria. Clinically, these tumors can be divided into low-grade (Grade 1) and high-grade (Grade 2, Grade 3, and dedifferentiated) chondrosarcomas. Although en bloc resection has been the most widely used treatment, it has become generally accepted that in selected patients with low-grade chondrosarcomas of long bones, curettage is safe and effective. This approach requires an accurate preoperative estimation of grade to avoid under- or overtreatment, but prior reports have indicated that both imaging and biopsy do not always give an accurate prediction of grade.

QUESTIONS/PURPOSES

(1) What is the concordance of image-guided needle preoperative biopsy and postoperative grading in central (intramedullary) chondrosarcomas of long bones, and how does this compare with the concordance of image-guided needle preoperative biopsy and postoperative grading in central pelvic chondrosarcomas? (2) What is the concordance of preoperative image-guided needle biopsy and postoperative findings in differentiating low-grade from high-grade central chondrosarcomas of long bones, and how does this compare with the concordance in central pelvic chondrosarcomas?

METHODS

Between 1997 and 2014, in our institution, we treated 126 patients for central chondrosarcomas located in long bones and the pelvis. Of these 126 cases, 41 were located in the pelvis and the remaining 85 cases were located in long bones. This study considers 39 (95%) and 40 (47%) of them, respectively. We included all cases in which histological information was complete regarding preoperative and postoperative tumor grading. We excluded all cases with incomplete data sets or nondiagnostic preoperative biopsies. To evaluate the needle biopsy accuracy, we compared the histological tumor grade, obtained from the preoperative biopsy, with the final histological grade obtained from the postoperative surgical specimen. The weighted and nonweighted kappa statistics were used to evaluate the agreement.

RESULTS

Concordance between the preoperative biopsy and the final pathological analysis in terms of histological grade was much higher in long-bone chondrosarcoma than in pelvic chondrosarcoma (83% [33 of 40] versus 36% [14 of 39]; odds ratio, 8, 48). Likewise, the weighted kappa coefficients were higher in long-bone chondrosarcoma than in pelvic chondrosarcoma for the determination of histological grade (0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.34-0.91 versus 0.12; -0.32 to 0.57; p < 0.001). When categorizing the lesions as low grade or high grade, concordance between the preoperative biopsy and the final pathological analysis was much higher in long-bone chondrosarcoma than in pelvic chondrosarcoma (90% [36 of 40] versus 67% [26 of 39]; odds ratio, 4, 5). Likewise, the weighted kappa coefficients were higher in long-bone chondrosarcoma than in pelvic chondrosarcoma (0.73; 95% CI, 0.51-0.94 versus 0.26; 0.04-0.48; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Image-guided needle biopsy, when performed by a specialist radiologist and evaluated by an experienced bone pathologist, is a useful tool in determining the histological grade of long-bone chondrosarcomas allowing identification of true low-grade tumors. The histological grade should be correlated with imaging and the clinical presentation, but under these circumstances, experienced tumor surgeons may use this information in planning surgical treatment. The same appears not to be true for pelvic lesions, in which histological grade established by needle biopsy should be interpreted with caution.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III, diagnostic study.