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Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program in Enchondromatoses and Related Malignant Tumors

Chondrosarcoma is a malignant tumor that originates from cartilaginous cells. It is the third most common primary malignancy of bone after myeloma and osteosarcoma. It accounts for about 20% of bone tumors and is diagnosed in approximately 600 patients each year in the United States. Up to 40% of the chondrosarcomas arise from an enchondroma. Enchondromas are benign, intramedullary cartilaginous tumors of bone. They can be solitary or multiple and are present in >3% of the population. Enchondromatosis refers to a group of diseases characterized by multiple enchondromas including metachondromatosis (MC), Ollier disease (OD), and Maffucci syndrome (MS) among others. All have skeletal abnormalities with or without associated vascular anomalies that can cause severe limb deformities during early childhood. The risk for chondrosarcoma is up to 30% in OD and MS. Currently, the only treatment for patients with these disorders is surgical; there is no effective pharmacologic therapy. The molecular bases of these two conditions is not well understood.