Chondrosarcoma, Mediastinal

Definition

Chondrosarcoma is a malignant tumor composed of cells that produce a cartilaginous ground substance. Although mostly documented in bones of the axial skeleton including those of the thoracic cage, occurrence in extraskeletal locations such as the somatic or visceral soft parts has been reported.

In the mediastinum, chondrosarcoma is considered very rare (Macchiarini and Ostertag 2004; Suster and Moran 1997). It has been postulated that these tumors may arise from cartilaginous elements within teratomatous lesions or from displaced connective tissue during embryogenesis or embryonic somatic remnants. Histologically, mediastinal chondrosarcoma (MCS) is comparable with its bony counterpart; however, the clinical, biological, and genetic changes differ. Depending on the degree of compression or invasion of intrathoracic organs, symptoms vary and include chest pain, shortness of breath, and dysphagia. Cases discovered incidentally during work-up of other conditions have been...