What Is Sarcoma?
Sarcoma is tumors that can occur on the cartilage, muscles, blood vessels, and nerves. They are classified into different types depending on the site of occurrence. Many types of sarcoma are identified and studied. They are named according to the site of occurrence because it makes it easy for medical professionals to communicate and discuss it.
What Is Chondrosarcoma?
Chondrosarcoma is a type of cancer that affects the hard and soft tissues. The hard tissues involve the bone, and the soft tissue comprises cartilage. The cancer is known to occur on pelvic bones, shoulder, and hip commonly. Skull bones are also involved. But it has only a rare occurrence. It is known to affect males more than females. It affects people belonging to the age of 10 to 80 years. Diagnosis requires precise tools, and the treatment is usually a long-term process.
What Are the Types of Chondrosarcoma?
There are two types of Chondrosarcoma. They are:
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Primary Chondrosarcoma: Primary chondrosarcoma occurs anywhere outside the bone. It is generally referred to as extraskeletal chondrosarcoma.
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Secondary Chondrosarcoma: Secondary chondrosarcoma occurs primarily in the bone and cartilage. The age of occurrence is relatively earlier than primary chondrosarcoma.
Other Variants:
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Mesenchymal Chondrosarcoma: Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma most commonly occurs in the jaws and ribs. It is known to affect people who belong to the age of 10 to 30 years. In this type, both men and women are equally affected.
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Clear Cell Chondrosarcoma: Clear cell chondrosarcoma can be identified using clinical signs. The growth of the tumor is very slow. With proper treatment, the prognosis is good. The surgical option is helpful.
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Dedifferentiated Chondrosarcoma: Dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma is the most severe type. Histological examination is beneficial for the diagnosis of this type of chondrosarcoma. A lifespan of only five years is expected from patients with differentiated chondrosarcoma.
What Are the Causes of Chondrosarcoma?
Chondrosarcoma is caused due to genetic mutations. The important function of genes is deciding the appearance and functions of an individual. It is made up of DNA, which is a deciding factor in heredity. All the information required for growth and development is happening in an organized way, and if there is any alteration in this, it will result in genetic mutations. Most of the genetic mutations are permanent, and they might cause severe complications. Patients who had a previous history of treatment with radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Chondrosarcoma is known to occur due to the occurrence of a few other health disorders. They could result in severe high-grade chondrosarcoma. They are:
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Multiple hereditary exostoses.
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Maffucci Syndrome.
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Ollier's Disease
Based on the severity of the condition, chondrosarcoma is classified into three categories. They are:
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Grade I: Low grade.
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Grade II: Intermediate grade.
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Grade III: High grade.
What Are the Symptoms of Chondrosarcoma?
There are no exact signs or symptoms to identify chondrosarcoma. Only some of the patients experience pain. Pain might be severe or mild, depending on the intensity of the tumor. People who are between the age of 30 to 39 years are more likely to get chondrosarcoma. Generally, chondrosarcoma is known to progress very slowly. The common symptoms:
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Frequent fractures of the bone due to weakness.
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Pain in the affected area.
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Swelling.
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Loss of functioning of the nerves.
How Is Chondrosarcoma Diagnosed?
The doctor will test the patient in a clinical setup. The health condition and medical history of the patient will be noted. In addition to this, the following tests would be required to support the clinical examination.
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Positron Emission Tomography (PET): Positron emission tomography uses high radioactive substances for imaging. All the metabolic processes could be identified in this procedure. It is known to be helpful for identifying the condition of chondrosarcoma.
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X-rays: An x-ray is a reliable tool when it comes to bone-related disorders. It is necessary for you to check your medical conditions because the x-rays can be harmful to some patients. Otherwise, it is the best diagnostic tool and it is used by the doctors to explain the condition to the patients.
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MRI Scan (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scan): It helps in the identification of the involvement of the tumor. After getting the MRI reports, the surgery is planned.
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Biopsy: Biopsy can be obtained by either an open technique or a closed technique. The closed technique uses the needle aspiration method for diagnosis. The specimen is collected from the patient, and the laboratory will produce the diagnosis results.
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Bone Scan: The structures of the bone can be visualized well with bone scans.
What Are the Treatment Options for Chondrosarcoma?
The treatment protocol for chondrosarcoma involves the following.
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Radiation Therapy: Radiation therapy is usually planned along with chemotherapy or surgical options. There are many side effects of radiation therapy, and it is necessary to communicate well with your doctor before going for it.
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Surgery: Limb salvage surgery is recommended for chondrosarcoma patients. Amputation is also one of the treatment methods.
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Curettage: An intralesional curettage surgery is recommended for low-grade chondrosarcoma. A bony window is made, and thermal curettes are used to remove the lesion. It requires highly skilled professionals for successful curettage.
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Chemotherapy: It is the least preferred treatment method. But, it is beneficial for chondrosarcoma of the initial stages. The dosage and drug regimen are planned by the doctor. There are some complications associated with chemotherapy treatment. You have to be clear on your treatment plan before going for it.
What Are the Risk Factors of Chondrosarcoma?
The condition of chondrosarcoma can occur at any age. There is no age-related risk. If the patient has a poor immune system, it would be difficult for the patient to handle the condition. The patient should also have the strength to bear the radiation therapy procedures in treatment.
How Is Prognosis?
The prognosis helps to predict the rate of recovery after the treatment. For chondrosarcoma, it is difficult to predict the outcome because it depends on the health and healing capacity of the individual. In low-grade cases of chondrosarcoma, the prognosis is good. Only in complicated cases, the life expectancy is reduced.
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