Chondrosarcoma of the hand and foot

Among possible localizations of chondrosarcoma of the limbs, the hand and foot represent the rarest sites. Five-hundred six cases of chondrosarcoma have been observed at the Tumor Center of the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute. Of these, 4 were localized in the hand and 10 in the foot. The authors compared their cases with those reported in the international literature. The authors emphasize the particular aspects of the tumor when localized in these sites which may be responsible for late diagnosis and difficulty in differential diagnosis involving synovial chondromatosis and, above all, chondroma, from which chondrosarcoma may originate.