Fibrocartilaginous mesenchymoma is a rare bone tumor, with fewer than 35 cases reported in the literature since 1984. This tumor usually occurs in the long bones of children and adolescents. In the current case, the tumor affected a rib. A 17-year-old boy presented with a mass in the right fifth rib. Radiologic findings revealed an osteolytic mass with cortical destruction and calcification; en bloc resection was performed. The tumor showed three distinct histologic features: bland spindle cell proliferation, benign cartilage nodules, and epiphyseal plate-like enchondral ossification. The pathologic diagnosis was fibrocartilaginous mesenchymoma. The patient remains free of disease 1 year after the surgery. Pathological diagnosis of fibrocartilaginous mesenchymoma can be challenging, especially when the tumor occurs in an unusual site. When any fibro-osseous lesion with a cartilaginous component is encountered, the possibility of fibrocartilaginous mesenchymoma should be considered because of its locally aggressive behavior.
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Fibrocartilaginous mesenchymoma: a case report and a literature review A. A. Karyagina, V. Yu. Roshchin, I. V. Sidorov, D. M. Konovalov Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Immunopathology.2024; 23(3): 158. CrossRef
Fibrocartilaginous mesenchymoma of pelvis—a potential diagnostic pitfall Monalisa Hui, Shantveer G. Uppin, Ramakrishna Narayanan, K. Nageshwara Rao, B. Aravind Kumar Skeletal Radiology.2023; 52(4): 791. CrossRef
Giant cell tumor arising in the osteocartilaginous tissue of the larynx is extremely rare. The few reported cases have all occurred in men older than 20 years and the site of origin has been exclusively localized to the thyroid and cricoid cartilages that are known to undergo enchondral ossification. The formation of giant cell tumor in larynx is thought to be related to this enchondral ossification process. We report a case of giant cell tumor arising in the thyroid cartilage of a 39 year old man. CT scan of the neck revealed a well defined mass of soft tissue density replacing the right thyroid cartilage. Grossly the tumor was well demarcated with a distinctive pushing margin except for the area bordering the submucosa of the larynx where it showed focally an infiltrative pattern of growth.
Microscopically multinucleated giant cells were found dispersed regularly among the spindle cells. Although mitoses were frequently noted in the spindle cells there was no atypicality or pleomorphism. Total laryngectomy was performed without further treatment. Postoperative follow up for 6 months has proved the patient to be alive and well without recurrence.
Calcification and ossification of colon cancer is frequently encountered, especially in the mucinous carcinoma. However, cartilage formation or enchondral ossification has rarely been described in human colon cancer. This report describes a case of a 59-year-old man with retroperitoneal metastasis of mucinous adenocarcinoma of colon, which showed a widespread heterotopic ossification through membranous or enchondral ossification. The ossification appeared in apposition to tumor cell nests and in the organized mucin pool. In our knowledge, this is the first case showing enchondral ossification in gastrointestinal carcinoma in Korea.