Primary Clear Cell Chondrosarcoma of the Spine: A Case Report of a Rare Entity and a Review of the Literature

Chondrosarcoma is the third most common primary malignant bone tumor after osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma. Clear cell chondrosarcoma is a rare subtype variant of chondrosarcoma, most commonly encountered in the proximal part of the femur or humerus. Vertebral involvement is exceedingly rare and sh...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Nikolaos A. Paidakakos, Aristides Rovlias, Evaggelos Rokas, Spyridon Theodoropoulos, Patroklos Katafygiotis
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2012-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Oncological Medicine
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/693137
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Summary:Chondrosarcoma is the third most common primary malignant bone tumor after osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma. Clear cell chondrosarcoma is a rare subtype variant of chondrosarcoma, most commonly encountered in the proximal part of the femur or humerus. Vertebral involvement is exceedingly rare and shows a predilection for the thoracic spine. We report the case of a woman with clear cell chondrosarcoma of the thoracic spine, which has been surgically excised, and review the pertinent literature (PubMed). Although it has a reasonably benign biological behavior, clear cell chondrosarcoma needs to be treated as a malignancy. The best treatment for spinal chondrosarcoma is surgery. It should be promptly and adequately resected. Gross-total resection should be the ultimate surgical goal. Radiation therapy should also be considered, especially in the case of subtotal resection or inoperable lesions. In conclusion, it is important to keep in mind this entity in the differential diagnosis of spinal tumors, in order to optimize treatment planning. With adequate treatment, local recurrence rates as low as 20% can be achieved.
ISSN:2090-6706
2090-6714