Abstract
e23505 Background: Juxtacortical chondrosarcoma (JCC) is a rare cartilaginous tumor—accounting for less than 2% of all chondrosarcomas—and typically appears on the external surfaces of long bones. The prognosis of JCC is relatively promising compared to other chondrosarcomas, with the current therapy of choice being en-bloc resection. However, a significant amount of information regarding JCC remains unknown. Therefore, exploring diagnostic trends may provide greater insight into this cancer’s epidemiology and potential forms of treatment. The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was assessed to uncover the demographic factors in patients diagnosed with JCC. Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis utilizing the 2004–2020 National Cancer Database (NCDB) included 131 subjects with a histologically-confirmed diagnosis of JCC (ICD-0-3 code 9221). Demographic factors (age, sex, race, Hispanic status, insurance status, facility type, distance from facility, and Charleson-Deyo comorbidity score) were analyzed by descriptive statistics and incidence trends were interpreted in regression analysis. Results: Between 2004 and 2020, the NCDB reported a total of 131 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of JCC. This data indicated a rising incidence of patients diagnosed per year (R² = 0.0855), with an average age of diagnosis of 45 years (SD = 18, range = 8-88). Patients with JCC were more likely to be White (82%), of non-Hispanic origin (86%), and male (63%). The tumor was most commonly found in the long bones of the lower limbs (35%). Surgical removal was the primary treatment for the majority of patients (95%), while others received radiation (7%) or chemotherapy (4%). Most patients (83%) had a Charlson-Deyo comorbidity score of 0. Patients were commonly treated at academic and research facilities (61%), and no patients received palliative care. More than half of individuals were privately insured (57%) and resided in a metropolitan area with a population size of at least 1 million (59%). The mean distance between patient residence and treatment site was 104.1 miles (SD = 221, range = 11-1194 miles). Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on juxtacortical chondrosarcoma utilizing NCDB data to address the significant lack of research on this subject. The majority of JCC patients are non-Hispanic, White, and have a primary site of diagnosis at the long bones of the lower limbs. This paper is the first to describe the socioeconomic factors of patients diagnosed with JCC: patients tend to be privately insured, live in large metropolitan areas, and are mostly treated in academic research facilities. Additional research is necessary to comprehend how socioeconomic and demographic factors influence the manner in which JCC patients are diagnosed and treated.