Dumbbell-shaped chondrosarcoma that primarily developed in the cervical spine: a case report.

There have been few reports describing dumbbell chondrosarcomas that primarily developed in the cervical spine; and among these cases even fewer can easily be diagnosed as chondrosarcoma. We report a 58-year-old man who complained of right cervical pain and swallowing difficulty without a particularly apparent cause. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed radiography (CT) suggested a diagnosis of dumbbell tumor. 99mTc HMDP bone scintigraphy and 201Tl scintigraphy were negative, and surgery was performed assuming the presence of a neurogenic tumor. Intraoperative histopathological examination showed similar results. The postoperative histopathological diagnosis, however, was chondrosarcoma (grade II). Retrospective discussion regarding the diagnosis of the patient revealed that gadolinium-enhanced MRI was not appropriate for a precise diagnosis and that CT was more effective. We have thus experienced a patient with a rare dumbbell chondrosarcoma that primarily developed in the cervical spine for which a preoperative diagnosis was difficult.