Extraskeletal mesenchymal chondrosarcoma: case report

Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma: imaging features and clinical findings

OBJECTIVE

To describe imaging and clinical features of primary mesenchymal chondrosarcoma (MCS) and evaluate for presence of a distinct biphasic pattern on imaging.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Patients with a pathologic diagnosis of MCS were identified along with imaging of their primary tumor. Size, location, appearance (lytic, sclerotic, or mixed), presence, extent and distribution of calcifications, cortical destruction, soft tissue extension, periosteal reaction, contrast enhancement, and radiotracer uptake were recorded. The presence of T2-hyperintense tumor lobules on MRI and a biphasic morphology (distinct calcified and non-calcified components) on CT were assessed. Presence and location of metastases were documented.

RESULTS

Twenty-three patients (mean age 28.0 ± 13.8 years) were reviewed (13 skeletal, 10 extraskeletal). Overall mean tumor size was 10.2 ± 7.2 cm, 7.1 ± 7.3 cm in non-metastatic and 13.2 ± 5.9 cm (p = 0.004) in metastatic cases. Locations were extremities (n = 11), head/neck (n = 4), chest wall (n = 4), pelvis (n = 3), and retroperitoneum (n = 1). Skeletal MCS were aggressive mixed lytic and sclerotic (n = 8), purely lytic (n = 4), or juxtacortical (n = 1) lesions with cortical destruction and soft tissue extension. Chondroid calcifications were common (80%). On MRI, the presence of T2-hyperintense lobules was seen in 35%. A biphasic morphology on imaging was seen in 30%. Metastases were common (52%) with the most common site being the lungs (75%). All tumors were hypermetabolic with a mean SUVmax of 14.3 (5.6-34) on PET/CT.

CONCLUSION

Skeletal MCS commonly present as aggressive lytic bone lesions with chondroid calcifications. A biphasic morphology was seen in one-third of cases. Metastases were common at initial presentation and more commonly seen with larger tumors.

Chondrosarcoma of the jaw bones: a review of 224 cases reported to date and an analysis of prognostic factors

The objective was to integrate the available published data on chondrosarcoma (CHS) of the jaw bones into a comprehensive analysis of its clinical and histological features, treatment, and prognostic factors. An electronic search was undertaken in October 2017. To be eligible, the publication had to provide sufficient clinical/histological data to confirm the diagnosis. One hundred and ten publications (224 cases of CHS) were identified and included. There was a slightly higher prevalence of CHS in males than in females. Most subjects with CHS were in the second to fifth decades of life. The most common symptom was swelling and the most commonly observed location was the maxilla. Histologically, most tumours were of the conventional type and were low grade tumours. The treatment of choice was tumour resection. Histological grade, treatment with chemotherapy alone, and the presentation of recurrence or metastasis were found to be significant independent prognostic factors: patients who presented high-grade tumours, who received chemotherapy alone as the treatment of choice, and those who presented recurrence or metastasis were more likely to have a worse prognosis. In addition, radical surgery associated with radiotherapy as the treatment protocol showed a better prognosis.

Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma of the spleen: Report of a case

Background

Chondrosarcoma is a malignant tumor of chondrogenic origin and the mesenchymal type is a very rare finding. Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma tends to develop mostly in the skeleton but may also occur as a primary tumor in periosteal nervous and muscular tissues, the anterior cerebral falx, meninges, brain, maxillary sinus, eyelid, thyroid, pleura and mediastinum, while in the abdomen the most frequent locations are the kidney, retroperitoneum and even the perineum and the anogenital area. Apparently, the only splenic mesenchymal chondrosarcoma in the literature occurred in a dog.

Methods and study design

Our paper reports the case of a patient who had a diagnosis of mesenchymal chondrosarcoma of the spleen.

Results

We adopted surgery as the main therapeutic procedure without achieving complete recovery but preserving a good quality of life for our patient, minimizing the repercussions of the disease on her working and relational life.

Conclusions

The absence of important or invalidating symptoms and the persistence of good general conditions before and after each surgical operation encouraged us to adopt the surgical option as the most rational.

Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma of bone and soft tissue: a systematic review of 107 patients in the past 20 years

Background

Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma(MCS) is a rare high-grade variant of chondrosarcoma. Consensus has not been reached on its optimal management. Resection with wide margins is usually recommended, but the effect of margins has been demonstrated by little positive evidence. Moreover, the effectiveness of adjuvant chemo- and/or radiotherapy remains controversial.

Objectives

To describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of MCS of bone and soft tissue, to assess the efficacies of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, and finally to deliver a more appropriate therapy.

Materials and Methods

We reviewed EMBASE-, MEDLINE-, Cochrane-, Ovid- and PubMed-based to find out all cases of MCS of bone and soft tissue described between April 1994 and April 2014. Description of treatment and regular follow-up was required for each study. Language was restricted to English and Chinese. Issues of age, gender, location, metastasis, and treatment were all evaluated for each case. Kaplan-Meier Method and Cox Proportional Hazard Regression Model were used in the survival analysis.

Results

From the 630 identified publications, 18 meeting the inclusion criteria were selected, involving a total of 107 patients. Based on these data, the 5-, 10-and 20-year overall survival are 55.0%, 43.5% and 15.7% respectively. The 5-, 10-, 20- year event-free survival rates are 45.0%, 27.2% and 8.1%, respectively. Treatment without surgery is associated with poorer overall survival and event-free survival. Negative surgical margins could significantly bring down the local-recurrence rate and are associated with a higher event-free survival rate. Chemotherapy regime based on anthracyclines does not benefit the overall survival. The addition of radiation therapy is not significantly associated with the overall or event-free survival. However, we recommend radiation as the salvage therapy for patients with positive margin so as to achieve better local control.

Conclusions

This review shows that surgery is essential in the management of MCS of bone and soft tissue. Appropriate adjuvant therapy may reduce local recurrence, but cannot benefit the overall survival.

Primary extraskeletal mesenchymal chondrosarcoma arising from the pancreas

We report here on a case of primary extraskeletal mesenchymal chondrosarcoma that arose from the pancreas. A 41-year-old man was evaluated by CT to find the cause of his abdominal pain. The CT scans showed a heterogeneously enhancing necrotic mass with numerous areas of coarse calcification, and this was located in the left side of the retroperitoneal space and involved the body and tail of the pancreas. Portal venography via the celiac axis also showed invasion of the splenic vein. Following excision of the mass, it was pathologically confirmed to be primary extraskeletal mesenchymal chondrosarcoma that arose from the pancreas.

Retroperitoneal mesenchymal chondrosarcoma mimicking a large retroperitoneal sacral schwannoma

We report a case of retroperitoneal chondrosarcoma in which preoperative radiological study induced to a possible diagnosis of sacral schwannoma. A 25-year-old woman was admitted to our neurosurgical institute for a progressive sciatic pain with gait difficulties with a sudden radicular deficit with right positive Lasegue's sign at 30 degrees, loss of Achilles reflex, sensory deficit on right S1 dermatome, and complete motor deficit of right plantar flexion. We performed an en bloc removal of the lesion via an anterior retroperitoneal approach. We believe that the treatment of choice is radical surgical excision of the tumor with complete en-bloc removal of the lesion; postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy should be valuated case by case.