Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Sep 16, 2021; 9(26): 7805-7810
Published online Sep 16, 2021. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i26.7805
Low-grade chondrosarcoma of the larynx: A case report
Ljiljana Vučković, Aleksandra Klisic, Aleksandar Filipović, Mirko Popović, Tatjana Ćulafić
Ljiljana Vučković, Clinical Center of Montenegro, Department of Pathology, University of Montenegro-Faculty of Medicine, Podgorica 81000, Montenegro
Aleksandra Klisic, Primary Health Care Center, University of Montenegro-Faculty of Medicine, Podgorica 81000, Montenegro
Aleksandar Filipović, Clinical Center of Montenegro, Department of Endocrine Surgery, University of Montenegro-Faculty of Medicine, Podgorica 81000, Montenegro
Mirko Popović, Clinical Center of Montenegro, Clinic for Otorhinolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Montenegro-Faculty of Medicine, Podgorica 81000, Montenegro
Tatjana Ćulafić, Department of Pathology, Clinical Center of Montenegro, Podgorica 81000, Montenegro
Author contributions: Vučković L and Klisic A reviewed the literature and drafted the manuscript; Vučković L wrote the manuscript; Filipović A and Popović M performed the surgery, reviewed the literature and drafted the manuscript; Vučković L and Ćulafić T performed the pathohistological analyses, interpreted the imaging findings and drafted the manuscript; Vučković L and Klisic A revised the manuscript and provided important intellectual content; all authors provided final approval for the final version of the manuscript.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Aleksandra Klisic, PhD, Chief Doctor, Research Scientist, Primary Health Care Center, University of Montenegro-Faculty of Medicine, Trg Nikole Kovacevica 6, Podgorica 81000, Montenegro. aleksandranklisic@gmail.com
Received: February 2, 2021
Peer-review started: February 2, 2021
First decision: April 25, 2021
Revised: April 25, 2021
Accepted: August 10, 2021
Article in press: August 10, 2021
Published online: September 16, 2021
Processing time: 219 Days and 10.4 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Chondrosarcomas of the larynx are malignant tumours that most commonly originate from the hyaline cartilage. Chondrosarcoma of the larynx, the most common type of low-grade tumour, accounts for 1% of all laryngeal neoplasms.

CASE SUMMARY

We present the case of a 60-year-old female patient who developed progressive hoarseness and shortness of breath over a 2-mo period. The patient had undergone resection of a laryngeal tumour 14 years before the aforementioned symptoms occurred, and histopathological analysis indicated that it was a chondroma. During the assessment of the patient, a submucosal, oval-shaped tumour was detected that was predominantly located on the left side of the larynx and was approximately 6 cm in size. The decision to perform left partial vertical laryngectomy was made. A pathohistological diagnosis of low-grade chondrosarcoma was made. Considering the results of pathohistological analysis and the positive margins of the resection, a total laryngectomy was performed. During the 12-mo follow-up, no local relapse or regional or distant metastases was detected.

CONCLUSION

Chondrosarcoma of the larynx must be considered in the differential diagnosis of laryngeal submucosal tumours. It is crucial to carefully sample of tumour tissue, differentiate chondroma and chondrosarcoma, and consider the possibility of malignant changes from chondroma to chondrosarcoma.

Keywords: Chondrosarcoma; Low grade; Larynx; Case report

Core Tip: Chondrosarcomas (ChSs) of the larynx are malignant tumours with a mesenchymal origin that most commonly originate from the hyaline cartilage. Although high-grade ChS of the larynx has also been described, low-grade tumours are the most common form of this disease. They are much more common in Caucasians and the men. This case highlights the utmost importance of recognizing mesenchymal tumours, especially those with a cartilage origin, during differential diagnosis in cases of intramural pathological processes in the laryngeal wall with a preserved mucosa, as these tumours are rare. It is crucial to carefully sample the tumour tissue, differentiate chondroma and chondrosarcoma, and consider the possibility of malignant changes from chondroma to chondrosarcoma.