Chondrosarcoma of the bones of the hand

The authors report two cases of phalangeal chondrosarcoma treated by carpometacarpal disarticulation of the affected finger. In both cases chondroma had been diagnosed histologically at previous operations consisting of curettage and homoplastic grafting. The cases subsequently came under our observation because of recurrences and an analysis of the clinical and radiographic course, together with a critical review of the previous histological preparation (in one case) led us to conclude that these neoplasms presented malignant features from the beginning and were not due to the sarcomatous degeneration of benign chondromas. The recent literature on this difficult differential diagnosis is reviewed.