Chondrosarcoma overview
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Chondrosarcoma overview On the Web |
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
A chondrosarcoma is a particular cancer of the bone. Chondrosarcoma is a cartilage based tumor and is in a category of cancers called sarcomas. Chondrosarcoma is a rare cancer that can affect people (and animals) of any age. The aggressiveness of chondrosarcoma is graded based on how fast it grows and its likelihood to metastasize or spread to other parts of the body. Grade 1 is a low grade (slow growing) cancer, and grades 2 and 3 are higher grades (fast growing) cancers. Depending on the grading system used by your medical facility, it's also possible to have grade 4 which would be even more aggressive than lower grade tumors. The most common bones for chondrosarcoma to grow are the pelvic and shoulder bones along with the superior regions of the arms and legs. [2] But they can also be found in any bones of the body, even in the base of the skull.
Nearly all chondrosarcoma patients appear to be in good health. Since it is not like other cancers, it doesn't affect the whole system. Many patients are not aware that there is a tumor growing inside them until there is a noticeable lump or pain. Sometimes a patient has no symptoms and no awareness of any lump and perhaps, by having a test for something else gets diagnosed accidentally. Sometimes an unexpected fracture will be the first indication of a bone tumor.[3]