Chondrosarcoma of the mandible a case report

Chondrosarcomas are malignant mesenchymal tumors with cartilaginous differentiation. Chondrosarcomas of the maxillofacial region are extremely rare lesions, accounting for approximately 1% of chondrosarcomas of the entire body. In most cases, the tumor presents as a painless mass or swelling with loosening of the associated teeth. The final diagnosis of the lesion is based on histopathological findings.Case Report: A 30-year-old man with a swelling over the lingual side of his mandible was admitted. The patient had no complaints of pain or tenderness in the region.The mass lesion was biopsied. Histopathological examination on the biopsied sample confirmed the diagnosis of chondrosarcoma.The patient was advised to undergo surgery and the tumor was resected completely.So far there has been no evidence of recurrence in the 6 month post operation follow up.

Chondrosarcomas vary from a well-differentiated tumor resembling a benign mass of cartilage to a high grade malignancy with aggressive behavior and the potential to form metastasis. Tumor grade and resectability are the most important prognostic factors for head and neck chondrosarcomas. The treatment of choice for such lesions is wide surgical excision.