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Review
. 2011:31:154-9.

Chondrosarcoma of the spine: a series of 16 cases and a review of the literature

Sophia A Strike  1 , Edward F McCarthy
Affiliations
Review

Chondrosarcoma of the spine: a series of 16 cases and a review of the literature

Sophia A Strike et al. Iowa Orthop J. 2011.

Abstract

Only a few major studies of chondrosarcoma of the mobile spine have been reported. These studies have shown that spinal chondrosarcomas require complete surgical resection and are notoriously resistant to chemotherapy and radiation. We present 16 cases of chondrosarcoma of the mobile spine diagnosed at a median age of 54.5 (range 20 - 79) years. Diagnosis and treatment studies were based on both CT scans and MRI. Fifteen of our 16 patients had low-grade (grade 1-2) chondrosarcomas. All patients were treated with surgical resection. Fourteen patients had total resection while two patients had subtotal resection. The two patients who had subtotal resection died of their disease. Five of the fourteen patients who had total resection also died. The mean interval to death was 3.6 years. This study confirms that although chondrosarcomas of the spine are low grade, they are dangerous neoplasms. Even with complete resection, they have a high rate of recurrence and metastasis.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Axial CT scan of the L1 vertebra of patient #15. There is a poorly defined lytic lesion mixed with nodular radiodensities characteristic of cartilage.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Axial CT scan of the T8 vertebra of patient #8 showing a poorly defined lytic lesion in the pedicle with associated ring-like radiodensities.
Figure 3
Figure 3
A) Axial CT scan of the C8 of patient #10. There is a poorly defined lytic lesion with cortical destruction. B) AT2-weighted sagittal MRI of patient #10 showing the anterior extraosseous extension of the lobulated cartilage mass which was not visible on CT scan.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Axial CT scan of the T9 vertebra of patient #5. There is significant extraosseous spread from the pedicle. There are abundant rings and stippled calcification characteristic of cartilage.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Axial CT scan of the C3 vertebra of patient #16. There is extensive synovial chondromatosis with destruction of the vertebral body secondary to a chondrosarcomatous transformation.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Medium-power photomicrograph of a grade-2 chondrosarcoma of patient #8. The cartilage shows penetration of the thinned cortex.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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