Chondromyxoid fibroma of the proximal phalanx. A tumour that may be confused with chondrosarcoma.

Chondromyxoid fibroma is a rare benign tumour of chondral origin. The diagnosis is difficult, but as Jaffe emphasized, "its recognition is of some importance in that pathologically it may be mistaken for sarcoma and, as such, treated more radically than is necessary" (Jaffe, 1948). Salzer (1965) found only 136 cases in the world literature since 1948 when Jaffe defined the criteria for their histological diagnosis. Only six cases of chondromyxoid fibroma have been reported involving the hand (Frank, Rockwood, 1969; Zatyepin, Klimova, Lipkin, Perety, 1979).