Conventional chondrosarcoma is the most common type of chondrosarcoma, making up nearly 90% of cases.

Conventional chondrosarcoma can affect any of your bones. Tumours mostly arise from the inside of the bone. They can also appear on the outside of the bones, but this is rare.

The most common places to get conventional chondrosarcoma are:

• the femur (thigh bone)
• upper arm
• shoulder blade
• ribs

If your doctor thinks you have chondrosarcoma, you will have a biopsy. A pathologist (doctor who specialises in looking at cells) will look at your cells under a microscope and will work out the grade of your tumour.

Conventional chondrosarcoma uses the most common grading system for sarcoma.

Most conventional chondrosarcomas are grade 1 or 2. It is rarely grade 3.

Remember to ask your doctor what your grade means for your chondrosarcoma.

Dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma is a rare subtype of chondrosarcoma, making up around 10% of cases.

It is high-grade and fast-growing. It also has a higher chance of coming back (recurring) or spreading to another part of the body (metastasis) than conventional chondrosarcoma.

The most common places affected by dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma are the:

• thigh bone (femur)
• pelvis.

Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma is a very rare subtype of chondrosarcoma, making up around 2% of cases.

It is high-grade and fast-growing. It also has a higher chance of coming back (recurring) or spreading to another part of the body (metastasis) than conventional chondrosarcoma.

Unlike other types of chondrosarcoma, it can affect anywhere in the body, in the bones or the soft tissue.

Around 30% of mesenchymal chondrosarcomas affect the soft tissue.

Clear cell chondrosarcoma is a very rare subtype of chondrosarcoma, making up around 2% of cases. It is a low-grade chondrosarcoma, meaning it is slow-growing.

The most common places affected by clear cell chondrosarcoma are the bones in the:

• arms
• legs

Symptoms of chondrosarcoma can vary depending on the size and location of your tumour.

You may experience:

• bone pain, particularly at night
• a lump or swelling in the affected area
• weakness in a limb
• difficulty moving a joint
• fractures in the affected bone – in rare cases

These symptoms can be confusing as they are similar to other conditions like sports injuries and growing pains.

You should see your GP if you have:

• bone pain that doesn’t go away, gets worse or wakes you up at night
• a lump or swelling that is getting bigger
• difficulty moving a joint
• an unexplained fracture

Your GP will give you a physical examination and you may have some further tests. If you GP thinks you have chondrosarcoma, they will refer you to a sarcoma specialist centre for these tests.

You may have:

• blood tests to check your general health
• an x-ray – takes images of your bones so the doctor can check for anything abnormal, like a tumour
• MRI scan – uses magnets to create an image of the tissues in your body
• a biopsy – A sample of tissue is removed and examined under a microscope

You may have more than one of these further tests. This is so doctors can understand what type of chondrosarcoma you have, and plan the best treatment for you.

The most effective treatment for chondrosarcoma is surgery. The type of surgery you have depends on where the cancer is and how far it has spread.

Surgery for the limbs (arms and legs)

There are 2 main types of surgery for the limbs:

• limb-sparing surgery
• amputation

Limb-sparing surgery involves taking out the affected part of the bone and replacing it with a

• bone graft (bone taken from another part of the body)
• metal prosthetic limb (artificial part of an arm or leg)

Doctors use this type of surgery to give you the best chance of keeping your leg.

Amputation is the removal of part or all of an arm or leg. Amputation is only used if limb-sparing surgery is not possible.

Surgery for the trunk (chest, abdomen or pelvis)

Surgery in the trunk is more complex as the tumour may be near your organs. Surgery might involve removing part of the affected bone or organ.

Ask your doctor to explain which surgery is best for you.

Other treatments

In some cases, you may also have:

• Chemotherapy – medicine used to kill cancer cells
• Radiotherapy – high-energy radiation is used to kill cancer cells.

These treatments could be used before or after surgery to treat chondrosarcoma.

After treatment for chondrosarcoma, you might benefit from support from rehabilitation services. These might include:

• occupational therapy – helps you with daily tasks or activities
• physiotherapy – helps restore movement and function
• dieticians – who make sure you’re getting the right nutrition
• orthotics and prosthetics – help with supportive equipment or artificial limbs (if you’ve had an amputation)

Rehabilitation usually starts after treatment. However, with bone sarcoma you may find that it helps to start rehabilitation earlier.

If you’re not automatically offered a referral to rehabilitation services by your medical team, it’s important to ask at the earliest opportunity for a referral.

Follow-up appointments

After your treatment has finished, you will have follow-up appointments for a few years to check how well you are recovering, or to check if your chondrosarcoma has come back.

Follow-up appointments might include:

• a physical examination
• blood tests
• limb x-rays – to check if you chondrosarcoma has come back (recurred) or if the prosthetic part of your limb has moved
• chest x-rays – to check if your chondrosarcoma has spread to the lungs

Remember, if you have any symptoms between your follow-up appointments, tell your doctor straight away.