Osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma of the head and neck.

Osteosarcomas and chondrosarcomas are rare malignant neoplasms in the head and neck. Eighteen cases seen at the UCLA Center for the Health Sciences are reviewed. Osteosarcomas of the maxilla tended to occur a decade later than those of the mandible or cranial bones. Several followed prior irradiation for retinoblastoma. Complete excision offers the only realistic chance for cure. Adjuvant therapy has little to offer these patients at this time.