Chondrosarcoma of the spine: a report of three cases and literature review.

Chondrosarcomas of the spine are rare and are difficult to treat. Three cases of chondrosarcoma are presented, and a series compiling similar cases reported in the literature was established. This study shows that chondrosarcomas of the spine are generally smaller, more difficult to excise, and followed by higher local recurrence compared with chondrosarcomas in the peripheral skeleton. The most important prognostic factor for local control is wide or marginal tumour resection.