Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma of posterior maxilla: report of a case with brief literature review.

Mesenchymal chondrosarcomas (MCs) are infrequent, slow-growing malignant tumors of head and neck region affecting both bone and soft tissues. It represents approximately 1% of all chondrosarcomas. They usually occur in the middle aged individuals, but rarely seen in young patients. It is commonly found in the ribs and jaws. Involvement of the jaws is evident in 22-27% of cases of MC. Most commonly, MCs are painless and occurs in the anterior portion of maxilla. Maxillofacial MCs are aggressive, has a tendency for recurrence and late metastasis to lung, bone, and lymph nodes, and is associated with an overall poor prognosis. Histopathologically, it is characterized by a biphasic pattern consisting of areas of hyaline cartilage mixed with small cell malignancy. Very few case reports involving the posterior maxillary region has been reported. This article reports a rare case of MC along with a review of the pertinent literature.