Dedifferentiation of low-grade chondrosarcomas

Of 370 well-differentiated chondrosarcomas, 33 had dedifferentiated zones of fibrosarcoma or osteogenic sarcoma. The clinical characteristics, including long preoperative duration of symptoms, age distribution of patients, and skeletal localization, and certain roentgenographic features correlated well with the chondrosarcomatous component of these tumors. The rapid deterioration of most of the patients after operation was determined by, and characteristic of, the anaplastic portion of the tumor and indicated the need for radical treatment at the earliest practicable date.