Chondroblastoma of Bone in Children: A Study of 3 Cases

Chondroblastoma is a benign bone tumor arising most often in the epiphyses of long bones. Nearly 90% occurred in patients between the ages of 5 and 25 years, but tumors were found in later adulthood and even in old age. A few chondroblastomas were predominantly cystic, and some contained zones that were indistinguishable microscopically from aneurysmal bone cysts. Conservative surgical removal, nearly always effective, should be thorough so as to minimize the risk of the occasional troublesome recurrence. Late sarcomatous change has been reported in a few cases whether radiation therapy was employed or not. We report a series of 3 boys with chondroblastoma, with an average age of 12 years. All our patients underwent biopsy for confirmation and then surgical treatment consisting of curettage of the lesion followed by bone autograft filling. The aim is to discuss the anatomoclinical and evolutionary aspects of this rare tumour, to evaluate the results of surgical treatment and to identify the factors influencing the rate of recurrence after treatment.