Pathogenesis (disease development)
Chondrosarcoma is one of the cartilaginous tumors. Chondrosarcoma exhibits cell nuclear atypia, which means that the nucleus of the malignant (malignant) degenerated tissue shows alteration. One form of cell nuclear atypia is pleomorphism, in which nuclei of similar cells take on a different appearance.
The more differentiated a tumor is, the more similar it is to the original cell, i.e. the more benign (benign) it behaves. Conversely, the more undifferentiated, the more malignant (malignant). The degree of differentiation is thus an important prognostic parameter.
Chondrosarcomas can be divided into three degrees of differentiation:
- Tumor 1st degree (low grade) grows slowly and forms virtually no metastases.
- Chondrosarcoma 2nd degree is already significantly more malignant (malignant) and is associated with poorer chances of survival if metastases are formed.
- Chondrosarcoma 3rd degree (high grade) grows rapidly and spreads rapidly. Approximately 60% of chondrosarcomas are classified as 1st degree,
35% to the 2nd grade and 5% to the 3rd grade. Chondrosarcomas metastasize mainly to the lungs (hematogenous/via the bloodstream).
Etiology (causes)
The exact causes of primary chondrosarcoma are still unclear.Secondary chondrosarcoma may develop from benign (benign) primary tumors such as enchondromas and osteochondromas. Solitary (single) enchondromas do not usually degenerate. However, the risk for degeneration in enchondromatosis (multiple enchondromas), with or without the presence of Ollier’s disease, and in Maffucci’s syndrome (sporadic developmental disorder of the mesoderm (a structure in human embryonic development called the middle cotyledon, which is associated with an increased risk of developing certain tumors) is high. The malignant (malignant) transformation rate for solitary osteochondromas is 1% and for multiple osteochondromas 10%.Furthermore, it is observed that chondrosarcoma has a clustered familial occurrence.
Biographic causes
- Genetic burden through parents, grandparents.
Disease-related causes
- Primary benign (benign) bone tumors – increased risk of secondary chondrosarcomas.
- Esp. multiple enchondromas and osteochondromas.
Radioactive exposure
X-rays
Tumor therapies
- Chondrosarcoma is more common in people who have undergone chemotherapy and/or radiatio (radiation therapy) in childhood for another tumor disease.
