Factors Affecting Recurrence in Chondroblastoma: Retrospective Analysis of 48 Cases

Chondroblastoma is an infrequent benign cartilaginous bone tumor. The gold standard surgical treatment is intralesional curettage with or without local adjuvant therapy, such as high-speed burring, electrocauterization, or intralesional phenol application. Bone grafting or cementation is usually applied to fill the defective area after curettage. This study aimed to retrospectively review a 36-year experience with chondroblastoma at our institution and to investigate the factors affecting recurrence rates. The medical records of 48 consecutive patients who were treated between April 1986 and October 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, with a mean follow-up of 48.3 months. The study included 29 male (60.4%) and 19 female (39.5%) patients, with a mean age of 18.5 years. All patients underwent intralesional curettage; the resulting cavity was filled with bone grafting in 40 cases (83.3%) and with bone cement in 4 cases (8.3%). Arthrodesis was performed in 4 patients (8.3%). Adjuvant therapy with electrocauterization or high- speed burring was used in 25 cases (52.1%). The overall local recurrence rate was 16.7% (8 cases). The recurrence rate was significantly lower in patients who received adjuvant therapy (p=0.020), whereas it was higher (75.0%) in those older than 30 years (p=0.012). No correlation was found between tumor size, radiologic stage, and recurrence rates. In conclusion, intralesional curettage followed by bone grafting was effective for local control in most cases, while electrocauterization or high-speed burring as local adjuvant therapy was associated with lower recurrence rates.