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Intradural cranial chordoma
Eiji Ito1, Kiyoshi Saito, Tetsuya Nagatani
1Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8560, Japan.
World Neurosurgery
|September 24, 2010
Summary
Intradural chordomas, once thought benign, can exhibit aggressive behavior. These rare tumors require long-term monitoring to understand their true prognosis and inform treatment strategies.
Area of Science:
- Neuro-oncology
- Neurosurgery
- Pathology
Background:
- Intradural chordomas are rare intracranial tumors.
- Historically considered benign with favorable resection outcomes.
- Lesser aggressive biologic behavior compared to typical chordomas was assumed.
Observation:
- Two cases of intradural cranial chordoma with aggressive behavior are presented.
- Case 1: A 59-year-old woman with a high MIB-1 index (13.9%) tumor adherent to the brainstem and basilar artery.
- Case 2: A 75-year-old woman with a recurrent tumor (MIB-1 index 6.2%) despite gross total removal.
Findings:
- Intradural chordomas can demonstrate aggressive biologic behavior.
- Tumor proliferation index (MIB-1) may indicate potential aggressiveness.
- Recurrence and adherence to critical neurovascular structures observed.
Implications:
- Intradural chordomas may not always be benign.
- Aggressive behavior necessitates careful long-term follow-up.
- Further research with larger cohorts is crucial for prognosis determination.
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