Skull Base Chordomas and Chondrosarcomas

Proton radiation therapy for chordomas and chondrosarcomas of the skull base.

OBJECT Local tumor control, patient survival, and treatment failure outcomes were analyzed to assess treatment efficacy in 58 patients in whom fractionated proton radiation therapy (RT) was administered for skull base chordomas and chondrosarcomas. METHODS Between March 1992 and January 1998, a total of 58 patients who could be evaluated were treated for skull base tumors, 33 for chordoma and...

Differentiation of skull base chordomas from chondrosarcomas by diffusion-weighted MRI.

Chordomas of the skull base: MR features.

PURPOSE To characterize the MR features of skull base chordomas with regard to signal intensity, size, position, extension, and Gd-DTPA enhancement. PATIENTS AND METHODS The MR imaging studies of 28 patients with surgically proven chordomas of the skull base were retrospectively reviewed. Twenty-two of these patients received intravenous administration of Gd-DTPA. RESULTS On short TR/short ...

Chondrosarcomas of the skull base and temporal bone.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the clinical presentation and outcomes of treatment for patients with chondrosarcomas involving the skull base and temporal bone. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective review. SETTING Tertiary medical centre. PATIENTS Cases of histologically confirmed chondrosarcoma involving the skull base and temporal bones. INTERVENTION Surgery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Demographic features...

Tumor-biology and current treatment of skull-base chordomas.

Chordomas are rare, slow growing tumors of the axial skeleton, which derive from the remnants of the fetal notochord. They can be encountered anywhere along the axial skeleton, most commonly in the sacral area, skull base and less commonly in the spine. Chordomas have a benign histopathology but exhibit malignant clinical behavior with invasive, destructive and metastatic potential. Genetic and...