Bone Cancer - Chondrosarcoma

Sabrina Kempe is a freelance writer for the medical team. She studied biology, specializing in molecular biology, human genetics and pharmacology. After her training as a medical editor in a renowned specialist publisher, she was responsible for specialist journals and a patient magazine. Now she writes articles on medical and scientific topics for experts and laypeople and edits scientific articles by doctors.

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With a share of around 20 percent, chondrosarcoma is the second most common type of bone cancer. It develops from embryonic or mature cartilage tissue. Most people between the ages of 50 and 70 develop chondrosarcoma, and men more often than women. Read everything you need to know about chondrosarcoma here!

ICD codes for this disease: ICD codes are internationally recognized codes for medical diagnoses. They can be found, for example, in doctor's letters or on certificates of incapacity for work. C41C40

Chondrosarcoma: symptoms

Chondrosarcomas are malignant tumors of the cartilage tissue that usually grow slowly. They are most common in the pelvis, thighs, shoulder girdle and ribs. There the patient feels pain when he is not moving (pain at rest).

Increasing swelling can develop in the area of the chondrosarcoma. In addition, depending on the location of the tumor in the affected body region, mobility may be restricted.

Unexplained bone pain or swelling in bones or joints is not always caused by bone cancer. Nevertheless, you should always have such symptoms clarified by a doctor as soon as possible.

Chondrosarcoma: causes

The causes of bone tumors such as chondrosarcoma are not yet fully understood.

Sometimes the chondrosarcoma occurs as a late consequence of radiation therapy: Anyone who has received radiation for a previous cancer can develop a second cancer for a long time afterwards - for example a chondosarcoma.

In addition, people with certain medical conditions are at higher risk of developing chondrosarcoma. These diseases include multiple cartilage exostosis (a hereditary disease) and chondromatosis (disease that is associated with the formation of mostly benign cartilage tumors).

Chondrosarcoma: examinations and diagnosis

The doctor will first collect the patient's personal medical history (anamnesis). This is followed by a physical exam. If there is a general suspicion that symptoms such as bone pain are possibly caused by bone cancer, further examinations are carried out in a tumor center. They specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of malignant bone tumors.

Further examinations that can be carried out there are, for example:

Blood tests
roentgen
Computed tomography (CT)
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Bone scintigraphy
Taking and analyzing a tissue sample (biopsy)

You can find out more about such examinations when a malignant bone tumor such as chondrosarcoma is suspected under Bone Cancer: Examinations and Diagnosis.

Chondrosarcoma: stages

Once the diagnosis of chondrosarcoma has been made, the severity of the disease must be determined. The subsequent therapy is based on this.

Essentially, the severity of cancer depends on the spread of the tumor (according to the TNM system) and the deviation of the cancerous tissue from normal tissue (grading).

You can read more about this at Bone Cancer: Stages.

Chondrosarcoma: treatment

Chondrosarcomas, like other forms of bone cancer, should be treated in a specialized center. The doctors, therapists and nurses there have extensive experience in caring for bone cancer patients.

Each patient receives a therapy plan tailored to him. The main methods of treating the malignant tumor are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.

You can read more about the various therapy options - also for relapses and in the end-stage of the disease - under Bone Cancer: Treatment.

Chondrosarcoma: Supportive Therapy

Chondrosarcoma can be combated in a targeted manner by means of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. However, the treatment can have side effects. Chemotherapy, for example, very often triggers nausea and vomiting. In addition, like radiation therapy in the pelvic area, it can lead to temporary or persistent infertility.

In addition, many patients suffer from symptoms that are triggered by the tumor itself (such as severe pain).

Doctors and therapists take care of both side effects of cancer therapy and symptoms of the disease as part of supportive therapy (also called supportive or accompanying therapy).

You can find out more about this under Bone Cancer: Supportive Therapy.

Chondrosarcoma: rehabilitation

Returning to everyday life and to social, professional or school life after cancer treatment is not easy for many patients. Rehabilitation programs provide valuable assistance here.

There, cancer patients learn, for example, how to deal with the consequences of cancer treatment (e.g. leg amputation, wearing a prosthesis, nerve disorders after chemotherapy). Exercise programs help to get physically fit again. Possible psychosocial consequences of cancer and cancer therapy such as fatigue syndrome, anxiety or depression are also addressed.

You can find out more about various rehabilitation measures for chondrosarcoma patients under Bone Cancer: Rehabilitation.

Bone cancer: follow-up care

After the cancer treatment is finished, your doctor will tell you when and at what intervals you should come for check-ups. These follow-up appointments are very important:

On the one hand, they can reveal long-term consequences of cancer therapy, i.e. health problems that persist even years after the end of therapy. On the other hand, thanks to regular follow-up care, the long-term effects of cancer therapy can be identified at an early stage.These include relapses of bone cancer as well as new cancer tumors that have arisen as a result of chondrosarcoma therapy.

To learn more about this topic, see Bone Cancer: Follow-Up Care.

Chondrosarcoma: life expectancy

The chances of recovery and life expectancy in chondrosarcoma and other forms of bone cancer depend on several factors. For example, how large and malignant the tumor is, whether it can be surgically removed and whether it had already metastasized at the time of its discovery play a role.

Read more about these general prognostic factors for malignant bone tumors under Bone Cancer - Osteosarcoma: Life Expectancy.

Prognosis in chondrosarcoma

Chondrosarcomas are less aggressive compared to many other types of bone cancer - they grow more slowly and do not relapse as quickly.

Usually they are only slightly malignant (grade 1) or moderately malignant (grade 2). Ten years after diagnosis, 47 to 77 percent (grade 1) or 38 to 59 percent of patients are still alive. In the case of very malignant chondrosarcomas (grade 3), on the other hand, the 10-year survival rate is only 15 to 36 percent.

Survival rates are statistical figures and are therefore only guidelines. They say nothing about the individual chances of survival of a single patient.

Bone Cancer: Additional Information

German Cancer Aid: https://www.krebshilfe.de

German Cancer Information Center: https://www.krebsinformationsdienst.de

orphanet - The portal for rare diseases and orphan drugs: https://www.orpha.net

Kinderkrebsinfo.de - information portal on cancer and blood diseases in children and adolescents: https://www.kinderkrebsinfo.de

Interdisciplinary Center for Bone and Soft Tissue Tumors, LMU Clinic of the University of Munich - Großhadern Campus

ZSE Berlin: Special outpatient clinic for pediatric oncology (DKG e.V. certified), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin (CVK)

Clinic for general orthopedics and tumor orthopedics at the University Hospital Münster (one of the largest centers worldwide for the treatment of patients with bone cancer): https://internationalpatients.ukmuenster.de/index.php?id=bone-and-soft-tissue-sarcomas&L=0

Late Effect Surveillance System (LESS): www.nachsorge-ist-vorsorge.de

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