Secondary chondrosarcomas in the background of osteocartilaginous exostoses of the sternoclavicular joint (literature review and clinical observations)

Primary malignant tumors of the chest wall account for less than 1 % of all neoplasms, with chondrosarcoma constituting 20 % of these. Secondary chondrosarcomas developing against the background of pre-existing enchondromas or osteochondromas (both solitary and multiple, as seen in Ollier’s disease or Maffucci syndrome) are even rarer. The slow growth of such neoplasms often leads to late diagnosis, and the complex anatomy of the localization poses challenges for specialists, requiring thorough preparation and coordinated work of a multidisciplinary team. The available literature contains limited reports on the surgical treatment of chondrosarcoma of the sternoclavicular joint, the I–II ribs, and/or the sternum, with few observations documented. This article presents a literature review dedicated to this issue, as well as two rare clinical cases of patients with chondrosarcoma of the upper thoracic aperture, which are of interest to oncologic orthopedists, thoracic and vascular surgeons, as well as diagnosticians.