Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma is a rare malignant tumor of the cartilage that tends to grow and spread rapidly. It can occur in almost any part of the body, but it is more common in children and young adults. Symptoms include painful swelling, and it can be difficult to diagnose. Surgical resection is the ideal treatment, followed by chemotherapy and radiation.
Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma is a malignant tumor of the cartilage, which tends to grow and spread more rapidly than other similar tumors. It occurs in children and young adults much more often than in older people, although in general it is a very rare type of cancer. Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma tends to appear more commonly in young people because their bones are still forming and they have cartilage that hasn’t yet mineralized into bone. In younger patients, mesenchymal chondrosarcoma tends to appear in extraskeletal sites while in older patients it usually appears in skeletal tissue.
The symptoms of mesenchymal chondrosarcoma resemble those of many other diseases and disorders, which can easily lead to an initial false diagnosis. In fact, mesenchymal chondrosarcoma is rarely the first disease that doctors consider when presenting with symptoms that match the rare cancer. It tends to present with painful swelling and can occur in almost any part of the body, although the limbs and extremities are most common. If the tumor causes pain and swelling in the specific part of the body where it is located, it can usually be diagnosed without too much difficulty, although other possibilities are usually tested first. Sometimes though, especially when the tumor is close to the spine, it can cause pain throughout the body, making it very difficult to identify its source.
Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma tends to be especially bothersome when it appears near the spine. This is referred to as a parameningeal presentation. Depending on the size of the tumor, it can put significant pressure on the spine and cause pain and partial paralysis. Such a tumor could also occur in the skull and cause similar neurological problems.
Like many other cancers, mesenchymal chondrosarcoma can metastasize through the blood and attack other organs within the body. It often tends to spread to the lungs, although it can spread to other sites as well. In general, patients will notice the symptoms of the original tumor before any metastasis has occurred, giving them time to seek appropriate treatment.
Assuming that the tumor can be removed without causing much damage to other organs or tissues, surgical resection is the ideal method of treating mesenchymal chondrosarcoma. Surgery is often followed by chemotherapy and radiation to ensure that no cancer cells can survive, grow and spread again. When the tumor is in an inoperable location, radiation and chemotherapy can sometimes be used to shrink the tumor enough for it to function safely.
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