The biology of human chondrosarcoma. II. Variation in chemical composition among types and subtypes of benign and malignant cartilage tumors.

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Abstract
Seventy-four tissue samples from 69 cartilage tumors were studied by biochemical techniques. The initial evaluation showed remarkably wide variations in these data among the tumors, and these differences were relatively independent of the degree of malignancy. To improve concordance of the biochemical and histological data and in an attempt to relate morphology and biochemical parameters to the degree of malignancy, a new system for the study of cartilage tumors was introduced in which the tumors were initially divided, according to histological pattern, into hyaline (48 samples), myxoid (4), fibrocartilaginous (4), mixed (17) and clear-cell (1) groups, independent of their grade of malignancy. The internal concordance of the biochemical data was improved. When the hyaline tumors were divided on the basis of the hexosamine content into 2 distinct types (those with > 0.600 .mu./mg and those with < 0.600 .mu./mg) and each of these types was subdivided into 2 subtypes using chondroitin 4-sulfate/chondroitin 6-sulfate ratios, clear, statistically significant differences between the 8 types and subtypes were achieved. When these 8 types and subtypes were analyzed in terms of degree of malignancy (benign, low-grade or high-grade tumors), it was apparent that some of the categories showed considerably fewer malignant tumors than others, the hyaline types and subtypes (IA, IB, IIA, and IIB) being the least malignant. The myxoid, fibrous and mixed groups (types III, IV, and V) contained a significantly greater number of high-grade lesions.