Subcutaneous involvement after a metacarpal chondrosarcoma. Case report and review of literature

The relatively high probability of local recurrence after excision of chondrosarcomas has been attributed to the avascularity of the cartilage tumor matrix, making the neoplastic cells less dependent on an extrinsic blood supply. This report is of a case of subcutaneous involvement by chondrosarcoma from a metacarpal to a site on the ipsilateral forearm several centimeters remote from the resection incision in the absence of local recurrence or pulmonary metastases. The pertinent literature regarding cutaneous involvement, local recurrence, and transplantation of cartilage neoplasms is reviewed.