Non-surgical treatment of chondrosarcoma: Current concepts and future perspectives

Chondrosarcoma represents a heterogeneous group of malignant cartilage tumors. Surgery is the most important component of treatment. Although convincing evidence of its benefit is lacking, chemotherapy might be useful in the treatment of mesenchymal and dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma. Radiotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of chondrosarcomas located in the spheno-occipital region and cervical spine. New modern radiation techniques could further improve the outcome for patients with lesions in sites that are surgically difficult to access. Finally, better understanding of molecular diagnostics and pathogenesis of chondrosarcoma, together with the development of new therapeutic agents, has resulted in numerous studies investigating potentially active treatment approaches to this disease. However, at present, the majority of these new compounds are being tested in preclinical settings, and their future clinical application still needs to be defined. © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved