Cartilage is a tough flexible material that covers the joints of the bones. It allows the bones to move freely at the joints and prevents the bones from grinding against each other. As well as being found in the cartilage, chondrosarcoma can also grow within a bone or on the surface of a bone. The most common sites of disease are the pelvis, ribs and upper thigh, the tumour is rarely found below the knees or below the elbows. The most common sites of MFH are the legs and arms.
Treatment is often similar to that given for osteosarcoma.
MFH can also arise in the soft tissues. PLB, however, starts in the bone. The peak age of people diagnosed with PLB is in the 50-60 yr age group, the disease is slightly more common in men than in women. Symptoms are usually bone pain and sometimes swelling. The majority of people with PLB are diagnosed with a single localised tumour.