The chondromyxoid fibroma toe: About a case and review of the literature

Abstract

The chondromyxoid fibroma is a rare benign bone tumor that represents less than 1% of all bone tumors and may raise diagnosis problems to the pathologist. We report the case of a 46 years old woman with no particular history, admitted for management of painful swelling of the 2nd left toe without alteration of her general condition. Clinical examination found a mass at the dorsum of the third phalanx of the second left toe, painful, hard and fixed at the deep plan. Foot X-ray showed an osteolytic lesion of the phalanx with dented outlines. The patient underwent a resection of the mass with the establishment of a small cortico-cancellous graft taken from the ipsilateral iliac crest and maintained by racking. Pathological examination of the piece of surgical resection showed a chondromyxoid fibroma. The outcome was favorable with no clinical or radiological abnormalities after 10 months of decline. Bone tumors are rarely located in the foot; this low incidence exposed to delays and errors in diagnosis and in treatment decisions. The chondromyxoid fibroma is a rare benign tumor of the bone (2% of benign tumors). Pain is the most common symptom. If it affects long bones most of the time, its location in short or flat bones is rare. Imaging makes the positive diagnosis, and its treatment is the surgical resection of tumor tissue with filling the residual cavity by cortico-cancellous tissue to prevent recurrence. The chondromyxoid fibroma is a rare benign tumor and radiology allows the diagnosis of lytic lesion, its treatment being surgery.