Tissues from sixty-nine cartilage tumors in sixty-six individuals were
obtained at the time of operation and each lesion was graded as benign
(seventeen) or as a low-grade (thirty-three) or high-grade (nineteen)
chondrosarcoma according to histological and roentgenographic criteria. The
material obtained was analyzed by biochemical techniques for its content of
water, ash, DNA, total protein (composed of collagen and so-called excess
protein), and carbohydrate. In addition, proteoglycan subunit was isolated
and the chain lengths of chrondroitin sulphate and keratan sulphate were
determined. Analysis of the data showed that for the most part the tumors
differed only quantitatively from articular cartilage controls, with the
principal variations noted in water, ash, protein, and collagen content.
Sugar concentrations were highly variable, but analysis of the proteoglycan
subunit showed a distribution of glycosaminoglycans characteristic of
immature articular cartilage. Marked shortening of the keratan sulphate
chains was noted without significant alteration in the chain lengths of
chondroitin sulphate, The wide variations in pattern suggest that the
cartilage tumors are not biochemically homogeneous and therefore probably
do not represent a single group of genetic errors.