Reactions 1119 - 16 Sep 2006

SAntineoplastics

Chondrosarcoma: case reportA 37-year-old man developed chondrosarcoma as a

malignant transformation of his residual teratoma afterreceiving chemotherapy with cisplatin, bleomycin, etoposideand ifosfamide for testicular cancer.

The man received four cycles of cisplatin 40 mg/m2,etoposide 120 mg/m2 and bleomycin 15 mg over 3 days every3 weeks; before chemotherapy initiation, an abdominalCT scan showed two para-aortic lymph nodes with maximaldiameters of 2.2 and 1.6cm, respectively. One month afterchemotherapy completion, an abdominal CT scan revealed anincrease in the size of his para-aortic lymph node to 2.8cm. Hereceived two additional cycles of cisplatin 20 mg/m2,etoposide 75 mg/m2 and ifosfamide 1200 mg/m2 over 5 days,and 1 month later, a CT scan showed that his para-aorticlymph node had not been diminished.

The man underwent a retroperitoneal resection of hiswhole, macroscopically evident residual mass; histologicalanalyses of his resected mass showed mature teratoma. After3 months, a CT scan revealed 1.6cm long strapped para-aorticlymph node elements. His retroperitoneal mass continued toincrease in size and, 26 months postsurgery, hisretroperitoneal mass had increased to 2.5cm; during this time,no increase in his serum tumour markers was recorded. Hethen underwent the resection of his recurrent retroperitonealmass. Histological analyses showed teratoma with malignanttransformation into chondrosarcoma.

Author comment: "Non-germ cell malignancies mayoriginate from the chemotherapy-induced differentiation ofthe totipotential germ cell (embryonal cell) component of thetumor with concomitant malignant transformation or fromtransformation of the teratomatous elements."Assimakopoulos SF, et al. A case of chondrosarcoma developing in a recurrentretroperitoneal mass after chemotherapy for testicular germ cell tumor. UrologiaInternationalis 77: 86-88, No. 1, 2006 - Greece 801044335

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Reactions 16 Sep 2006 No. 11190114-9954/10/1119-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved