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Chondrosarcoma

Guidelines

Key sources

The following summarized guidelines for the evaluation and management of chondrosarcoma are prepared by our editorial team based on guidelines from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN 2025), the European Reference Network for Paediatric Cancer (ERN PaedCan/EURACAN/ESMO/ERN GENTURIS 2021), and the Spanish Group for Research on Sarcomas (GEIS 2017).
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Diagnostic investigations

History and physical examination: as per ERN GENTURIS/ERN PaedCan/ESMO/EURACAN 2021 guidelines, elicit medical history and perform physical examination in the initial work-up of patients with suspected primary bone sarcoma.
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  • Imaging for staging

Diagnostic procedures

Biopsy and pathology: as per ERN GENTURIS/ERN PaedCan/ESMO/EURACAN 2021 guidelines, perform biopsy in the initial work-op of patients with suspected primary bone sarcoma.
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Medical management

Setting of care: as per ERN GENTURIS/ERN PaedCan/ESMO/EURACAN 2021 guidelines, manage patients with bone sarcomas at reference centers and/or within reference networks able to provide access to the full spectrum of care and age-specific expertise.
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  • Chemotherapy

  • Management of metastatic disease

  • Management of recurrent disease

Therapeutic procedures

Radiotherapy
As per NCCN 2025 guidelines:
Consider offering radiotherapy in patients with low-grade or intracompartmental chondrosarcomas, if unresectable.
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Consider offering radiotherapy in patients with high-grade (grade II, grade III), clear cell or extracompartmental chondrosarcomas, if borderline resectable or unresectable.
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Surgical interventions

Wide-local excision: as per NCCN 2025 guidelines, perform wide excision, if resectable, in patients with low-grade, intracompartmental, high-grade (grade II, grade III), clear cell or extracompartmental chondrosarcomas.
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  • Intralesional excision

Specific circumstances

Patients with mesenchymal chondrosarcoma: as per NCCN 2025 guidelines, treat patients with mesenchymal chondrosarcoma as Ewing's sarcoma.
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Patient education

Genetic counseling: as per NCCN 2025 guidelines, consider referring selected patients with chondrosarcoma for genetic consultation and testing based on family history with a genetic predisposition for bone sarcomas.
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Follow-up and surveillance

Surveillance
As per NCCN 2025 guidelines:
Include the following in the surveillance of patients with low-grade or intracompartmental chondrosarcomas:
physical examination
radiographs of primary site and/or cross-sectional MRI or CT (both with contrast) as clinically indicated every 6-12 months for 2 years, then yearly as appropriate
chest imaging as clinically indicated every 6-12 months for 2 years, then yearly as appropriate
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Include the following in the surveillance of patients with high-grade (grade II, grade III), clear cell or extracompartmental chondrosarcomas:
physical examination
radiographs of primary site and/or cross-sectional MRI or CT (both with contrast) as clinically indicated
chest imaging every 3-6 months, consider obtaining include CT, at least every 6 months for 5 years, then yearly for a minimum of 10 years
reassessment of function at every follow-up visit
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