Metacarpal chondrosarcoma, from negligence to rareness : a case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Chondrosarcoma is rarely found in the extremities but it remains the most common primary malignant bone tumor of the hand. We report an unusual case of a 46-year-old man with a huge chondrosarcoma on his left hand that has been evolving for more than 30 years. The mass has always been painless, the symptoms were only the deformation and a slight loss of motion. We did a subtotal resection since the patient refused the amputation. The investigation, which in- cluded thoracoabdominal tomography, scintigraphy and blood analysis, turned out to be negative. In the literature, CS are usually associated with a locally destructive growth but metastasis hasn’t been often described. CS seems to be an aggressive tumor locally but, unlike in other sites, it seems to rarely metastasize when in the hands.