The Differences Between Intracranial Mesenchymal Chondrosarcoma and Conventional Chondrosarcoma in Clinical Features and Outcomes

Abstract

Objective: To report differences in clinical features and outcomes between intracranial mesenchymal chondrosarcoma (MCS) and conventional chondrosarcoma (CCS).

Methods: Clinical data of patients with primary intracranial MCS and CCS were retrospectively extracted and analyzed to compare differences between MCS and CCS.

Results: Seventy-four patients with intracranial chondrosarcoma (61 cases with MCS and 13 cases with CCS) were included. Compared with patients with CCS, patients with MCS presented at a younger mean age (21.1 years vs. 34.5 years, P < 0.001) and had a poor mean preoperative Karnofsky performance scale score (64.6 vs. 77.8, P = 0.014). Compared with CCS, MCS was less often located in the skull base (38.5% vs. 96.7%, P < 0.001) and had a larger tumor volume (87.8 cm³ vs. 26.7 cm³, P < 0.001). Rates of gross total resection in MCS and CCS subgroups were 41.1% (n = 25) and 46.2% (n = 6), respectively; rates of adjuvant radiotherapy postoperatively were 44.2% (n = 27) and 46.2% (n = 6), respectively. After mean follow-up of 41.7 months, 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year overall survival and progression-free survival of MCS were significantly shorter than overall survival and progression-free survival of CCS. Multivariate analysis revealed that tumor pathology and extent of surgery were independent predictors for tumor recurrence.

Conclusions: Clinical features of MCS are quite different from CCS. Treatment strategies used for CCS do not yield satisfactory outcomes for MCS. Treatment of MCS should be aggressive and individualized.

Keywords: Clinical characteristics; Conventional chondrosarcoma; Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma; Prognosis.