Case report: Chondrosarcoma of the head and neck

Abstract

Chondrosarcoma originates in the bones of the head and neck. It is an unusual neoplasm that is slow-growing and represents only 1–3% of all cases of chondrosarcoma. Here, we report a case of a 45-year-old male Caucasian patient treated at Hospital Amaral Carvalho with a history of swelling of the face and a tumoral mass in the right maxilla with infiltration into the skin, which had been present for 4 months. A computerized tomography (CT) of the face and sinuses demonstrated a lesion in the right maxilla. A maxilectomia without orbital exenteration was performed. It was diagnosed as a grade III chondrosarcoma, with infiltration into the subjacent bone, anterior wall of the maxillary sinus and floor of the orbit. The patient presented with recurrence of the tumor after adjuvant therapies. A molecular study on the present case showed an unusually large number of abnormalities. This finding demonstrated extreme chromosomal instability, which was likely due to the undifferentiation of the tumor. Although there are no cases in the literature with which to compare, these findings may elucidate potential therapeutic targets for advanced tumors without other therapeutic options. Keywords: Chondrosarcoma, Head and neck, Maxilectomia, Molecular study, Chromosomal instability, Tumor undifferentiation, Pathology, Cytology