Chondrosarcoma of the head and neck

A review of 23 cases of chondrosarcoma of the head and neck is presented. The sites of involvement include the gnathic bones, paranasal sinuses and orbit, nasopharynx, base of skull, larynx and the cervical spine. Histologic grading of the neoplasms into I, II, and III, primarily dependent on deviation from phenotypic cartilage and mitoses, afforded excellent correlation with prognosis and survival. While increasing size of the chondrosarcoma is not always associated with higher grade tumors, rapidly growing and extensive neoplasms are usually grade II or III chondrosarcoma.