Fine‐needle aspiration cytology of chondroblastoma of soft parts: Case report and differential diagnosis with other soft tissue tumors

Abstract

Chondroblastoma is a benign tumor arising in the epiphysis of long bones. The extraskeletal presentation is most unusual. We report the first cytological description of a soft tissue chondroblastoma. It was a subcutaneous mass in the leg of a 62-yr-old man. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) rendered a highly cellular material with grouped and single polygonal or round cells with a uniform, sometimes eccentric nucleus. Microvacuolated cytoplasm and hemosiderin pigment were frequent findings. There were rare nuclear grooves and mitoses. A metachromatic, focally calcified stroma was present, occasionally surrounding the cells. There were also numerous multinucleated osteoclast-like giant cells. Histological evaluation was diagnostic of chondroblastoma. The tumor was locally aggressive. A review of other soft tissue masses with similar cytological findings is included in the discussion. FNA cytology is very helpful in the diagnosis of soft tissue chondroblastoma, but additional studies may be necessary for a definitive diagnosis.

Chondroblastoma of the Clivus: Case Report and Review

“…12,38,39 In general, chondroblastomas display low proliferative activity. 18,40 High mitotic activity, however, has been described by Ishikawa et al in an aggressively growing temporal bone chondroblastoma with a high MIB-1 index.…”

Chondroblastoma of the Fourth Lumbar Vertebra Diagnosed by Aspiration Biopsy: Case Report and Review of the Literature

“…Some authors have claimed that the smears characteristically reveal hyper-to-hypocellular lobules comprised of small round-to-polyhedral cells (chondroblasts) embedded in an abundant myxoid stroma [17,18,19,20]. Granados et al [19] reported fine-needle aspiration findings of a soft tissue chondroblastoma in the leg of a 62-year-old man.…”

“…Cytological features have been published in the literature concerning the diagnosis of chondroblastoma by AB [17,18,19,20]. Some authors have claimed that the smears characteristically reveal hyper-to-hypocellular lobules comprised of small round-to-polyhedral cells (chondroblasts) embedded in an abundant myxoid stroma [17,18,19,20].…”

“…The occurrence of chondroblastoma in the vertebral column is exceptional, with approximately 30 cases reported in the whole spine and less than 10 cases reported within the lumbar region [4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16]. Brief reports have been published in the literature regarding the diagnostic pitfalls, cytological features, and differential diagnosis of chondroblastoma by aspiration biopsy (AB) [17,18,19,20]. To the best of our knowledge, this is the second case of an AB finding of a chondroblastoma of the 4th lumbar vertebra [15].…”

Intra-axial chondroblastoma: A bony tumor in the cerebral hemisphere – A case report and review of literature

“…They are rare at extraosseous, soft tissue locations. [56] An extraosseous intracranial location[7] for this bony tumor is a rare entity. We report a case of an intracranial intra-axial chondroblastoma in a young patient.…”