enchondroma
Meaning of enchondroma: An enchondroma is a benign cartilage growth within bone, most often found in the small bones of the hand and often discovered incidentally.
Definition of enchondroma
An enchondroma is a benign, noncancerous growth made of cartilage that develops within a bone, most often in the small bones of the hand, though it can occur in other bones as well. It arises from cartilage cells left behind within the bone from earlier development rather than from cartilage found in a joint.
Many enchondromas cause no symptoms and are discovered incidentally on an x-ray obtained for an unrelated reason, sometimes appearing as a well defined area within the bone. Occasionally, an enchondroma weakens the surrounding bone enough to contribute to a fracture after a relatively minor injury.
When multiple enchondromas occur together, the condition is called enchondromatosis, a distinct and uncommon diagnosis from a single, isolated enchondroma, and one that is followed somewhat differently given the larger number of lesions involved.
Used in a sentence
An enchondroma was identified incidentally on an x-ray obtained after a minor hand injury.
Good to know
A single enchondroma discovered incidentally is a common and typically benign finding, distinct from enchondromatosis, in which multiple lesions occur together and are followed more closely.
Word origin
Where “enchondroma” comes from
Formed from Greek en-, meaning within, chondros, meaning cartilage, and -oma, meaning tumor.