Intracranial mesenchymal chondrosarcoma: case report and literature review

Abstract

Background. Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma is a very rare malignant cartilaginous forming tumour in central nervous system (CNS), which is rarely encountered in clinical practice and generally occurs in young adults. This article describes a case of primary intracranial mesenchymal chondrosarcoma in a 31-year-old woman and reviews the literature on its manifestations and management. Case report. This patient had suffered from severe headache, intermittent nausea and vomiting for 1 week. Systemic examination was unremarkable. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a giant, heterogeneous, intensely enhancing mass of 6 × 5 × 4 cm, occupying the bilateral frontal and based on the anterior falx cerebri, which was initially thought to be a simply meningioma. The patient underwent a bicoronal craniotomy and gross total resection of the tumour. Pathologic examination revealed the mesenchymal chondrosarcoma. Conclusion. Intracranial mesenchymal chondrosarcoma is an extreme rare neoplasm, which should be considered in the differential diagnosis of intracranial mass like a meningioma. We emphasize the importance of surgical intervention and combination of microsurgical resection and radiotherapy, it should be the therapeutical choice of the future.