Chondroblastoma is a rare, benign, locally aggressive bone tumor that typically affects the epiphyses or apophyses of long bones. It is thought to arise from an outgrowth of immature cartilage cells from secondary ossification centers, originating from the epiphyseal plate or some remnant of it.
What causes chondroblastoma? The exact cause of chondroblastoma is not known. The tumors are believed to start from immature cartilage producing cells called chondroblasts.
No. Chondroblastomas are benign, meaning that it's a non-cancerous tumor. Removing the tumor with surgery alleviates pain as well as any bone damage.
Treatment aimed at removing the tumor and preventing damage to the end of the affected bone usually involves a surgical procedure, such as: curettage and bone grafting: This is the most common treatment for chondroblastomas.
Although usually benign, chondroblastoma metastasizes on rare occasions, with fatal results.
The prognosis of chondroblastomas is good, with about 80% to 90% successfully treated by simple curettage with bone grafting. The recurrence rate is between 14% and 18%, mainly occurring within 2 years after surgical operation and primarily happening in cases of temporal bone location,,.
Eighty percent of patients are under 25 years of age. The tumors are very rare, accounting for only about 1% of all bone tumors. Chondroblastoma is one of the few benign bone tumors with the potential to spread, or metastasize, to the lungs.
Chondroblastoma is a benign lesion that is typically well defined and located in the epiphysis. Although benign, chondroblastomas can be locally invasive and metastasize to the lungs.
Chondroblastoma shows a predilection towards the male sex, with a ratio of male to female patients of 2:1. The most commonly affected site is the femur, followed by the humerus and tibia. Less commonly affected sites include the talus and calcaneus of the foot and flat bones.
Chondroblastomas are benign lesions but can be locally aggressive and rarely even metastatic disease has been documented.
Chondroblastoma is a rare type of noncancerous bone tumor that starts from cartilage. It most often affects the ends of the long bones, near the growth plate, in the arms at the shoulder, and in the legs at the hip and knee. It is more common in children and young adults and affects males more than females.
Location. Most chondroblastomas occur in the subchondral epiphyseal region of long bones such as the proximal or distal femur, the proximal tibia and proximal humerus 1-3.
In addition to recurrence, many complications can occur after treatment of chondroblastomas, including the following: Infection. Development of degenerative joint changes. Fracture through the lesion.
Benign tumors are those that stay in their primary location without invading other sites of the body. They do not spread to local structures or to distant parts of the body. Benign tumors tend to grow slowly and have distinct borders. Benign tumors are not usually problematic.
What causes benign bone tumors? Bone tumors form when bone cells divide and grow out of control, forming a lump or a mass of cells. We don't know why this happens in most cases.
Malignant Transformation of a Chondroblastoma
Malignant transformation of chondroblastoma is defined as sarcoma arising in a previous chondroblastoma site. It can be subdivided into two more groups; post-irradiation sarcoma and “secondary” sarcoma at previous chondroblastoma site.
Most chondroblastomas are diagnosed in the second to third decade of life (mean age, 19 to 23 years) with a male predominance (2 to 1). [1] More than 75% of cases involve the long bones; the most common anatomical sites are the epiphyseal regions of the proximal and distal femur, proximal tibia, and proximal humerus.
Osteochondromas consist of a bony protrusion of cartilage capped and adjacent to the physis. They usually occur around the knee and the humerus. Chondroblastomas usually occur in the epiphysis of long bones and consist of immature cartilage with thin calcified precipitates and multinucleated giant cells.
Symptoms. A lump or swelling can be the first sign of a benign tumor. Another is ongoing or increasing aching or pain in the region of the tumor. Sometimes tumors are found only after a fracture occurs where the bone has been weakened by the growing tumor.
Cartilage is soft connective tissue that allows movement between your bones and joints. The most common treatment is surgery to remove cancerous tissue and bone. Approximately 60% to 70 % of people who have the most common form of chondrosarcoma are alive five years after diagnosis.
Small conventional CS can be cured with surgery. Cryosurgery: Cryosurgery is a type of surgery that uses a very cold liquid to damage the tumor tissue. Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy is a treatment option for some CS tumors that cannot be removed by surgery.
Chondrosarcoma is the second most common malignant bone tumor, representing 10% to 20% of all malignant bone tumors. It is most common in adults 30 to 70 years of age and is rare in patients under 21 years of age.
Chemotherapy is not used for low-grade chondrosarcoma because it has not been shown to help improve survival. Dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma may be treated with some of the same chemotherapy drugs that are used for osteosarcoma. Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma is an aggressive, high-grade type of chondrosarcoma.
What can you do? “Unfortunately, a CT scan is unable to show whether a nodule is benign or not,” says Dr. Wong. “It is important to be proactive about a nodule because earlier detection of lung cancer can make a huge difference in the outcome.”
MRI is very good at zeroing in on some kinds of cancers. By looking at your body with MRI, doctors may be able to see if a tumor is benign or cancerous. According to the World Health Organization, survival rates for many types of cancer are significantly higher with early detection.