Final answer:
An osteochondroma is a benign bone tumor made from bone and cartilage cells, associated with the endochondral ossification process.
Step-by-step explanation:
A benign bone tumor that is formed from bone and cartilage cells is commonly known as an osteochondroma. This type of tumor occurs during growth of the skeleton, often in long bones, and is typically found at the metaphysis near the growth plate. The process of bone tissue formation is called ossification, which includes both intramembranous and endochondral pathways. However, osteochondromas are specifically associated with endochondral ossification, the same process by which long bones and the base of the skull are formed.
Ossification in the human skeleton starts from cartilage templates. Initially, the embryo's skeleton is made of fibrous membranes and hyaline cartilage. Through endochondral ossification, hyaline cartilage is gradually replaced by bone as growth occurs. This process depends partly on chondrocytes, the cells found in cartilage, which secrete the cartilaginous matrix and eventually become surrounded by it. Subsequently, this cartilaginous template is converted into bone by osteoblasts, which lay down the mineral matrix leading to bone formation.