A case of giant chondrosarcoma of the cricoid cartilage presenting as a superior mediastinal tumour.

We report the case of a 73-year-old man operated on for a symptomatic superior mediastinal mass which developed from the cricoid cartilage. Through cervicotomy and partial sternotomy, laryngeal subglottic resection allowed complete removal of the tumour. From pathological examination, a benign chondroma was initially diagnosed without any criterion of malignancy. However, subsequent review of the pathological slides showed the lesion to be a low grade chondrosarcoma with an epithelial quota of spindle cells, responsible for the patient's death. This case illustrates the need for resection of presumed cricoid cartilage chondromas because of their potential mediastinal development and associated malignancies.