Surgical Treatment of a Large Regrowing Chondrosarcoma in the Upper Thoracic Spine with Osteochondromatosis

ABSTRACT

A chondrosarcoma of thoracic spine with local recurrence is described in a 40.year.old man having osteochondromatosis. We had performed a subtotal resection of a chondrosarcoma 3.5 years ago. However, the tumor had grown larger than the initial size. The patient showed symptoms of myelopathy. He was treated with a staged posterior spinal fusion and anterior decompression/corpectomy for grossly total removal of the chondrosarcoma. The patient had near.complete resolution of his myelopathy after surgery, immediatly. Follow.up at 6 months revealed no recurrence and the patient had recovered normal muscle power. Even low grade chondrosarcomas have a high recurrence rate and respond poorly to medical treatments such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy, making total surgical resection is the most important treatment. For good therapeutic results, the chondrosarcoma should be performed aggressive total resection.