Cartilage-derived tumor in a prehispanic individual from La Gomera (Canary Islands)

We present the case of a left tibia with an outgrowth at its distal metaphyseal/epiphyseal end, composed of cancellous bone, surrounding a destructive process that, on radiological examination, reaches the tibiotalar joint surface. The cancellous bone of the outgrowth is well preserved and is in continuity with intramedullary cancellous bone. The tibia belonged to a prehispanic adult individual, probably male, from La Gomera, in the Canary Archipelago. The antiquity of the sample is unknown, but radiocarbon dating of other samples ranges from 1600 to1800 years BP. The lesion is suggestive of a cartilage-derived tumor, most likely a chondrosarcoma. Other etiologic possibilities are also discussed, including osteochondroma, enchondroma, chondromyxoid fibroma or chondroblastoma.