Calcaneal chondrosarcoma: a case report☆☆☆

The objective was to report on a rare case of chondrosarcoma of the bones of the foot, and specifically the calcaneus. The patient was a 30-year-old woman with a complaint of painless nodulation on the lateral face of the calcaneus, which she had had for around eight years, which then started to present significant pain. Radiography showed a tumor with imprecise limits, compromising the calcaneus, talus and lateral malleolus. The lesion had a destructive, aggressive and osteolytic appearance, with invasion of the surrounding soft tissues and the presence of points of calcification. Amputation was performed in the middle third of the right lower leg, with a histological diagnosis of chondrosarcoma. The case evolved with local recurrence of the tumor formation and subsequent amputation in the middle third of the right thigh. One year after the second amputation, the patient evolved with metastasis from the chondrosarcoma in soft tissues throughout the body and in the lungs, and she died one year and ten months after the diagnosis was made. Chondrosarcomas that involve the calcaneus are rare in young adults, with few reports in the literature. For this reason, the present report becomes important in that it shows that even though this is a rare condition, it is present in our environment. Early investigation is essential, especially by means of imaging examinations, with the aim of diminishing the chances of malignant transformation and consequent complications, so as to avoid death.