Summary Eighteen primary chondrosarcomas of the head and neck were reviewed at the Memorial and James Ewing Hospitals. Twelve patients presented with a painless mass arising within the oral cavity. Headache, blurred vision, proptosis, swelling, and numbness of the face were the other prominent complaints. The maxilla was involved in ten of the eighteen patients; the lower jaw was involved in four of the other cases studied. Surgery was the prime method of treatment in all cases; additional surgery and radiation therapy were employed for recurrent tumor. Eight of the eighteen patients were alive and free of disease more than five years. Tumor recurrence at or near the region of primary resection was the major factor leading to the patient's death. A comparison of lesions arising in the axial skeletal system with lesions originating in the head and neck indicated that lesions of the head and neck occur in much younger persons and that these tumors are not as aggressive.