Recurrence of Ventral Skull Base Lesions Attributed to Tumor Seeding: A Systematic Review

To evaluate ventral skull base lesion recurrences along surgical access pathways attributed to iatrogenic seeding.

A systematic review of the literature was performed searching for recurrence of ventral skull base lesions attributed to iatrogenic implantation. Studies were assessed for level of evidence. Primary intervention, pathology, and other clinical factors were reported following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines.

Among 69 patients with recurrent skull base lesions attributed to seeding, the most common pathologies were craniopharyngioma (52.2%), chordoma (33.3%), adenocarcinoma (4.3%), adenoid cystic carcinoma (2.9%), and squamous cell carcinoma (2.9%). Median time to recurrence was 36 months. Time to recurrence was significantly longer for craniopharyngiomas than for chordomas (42 months vs. 24 months, P ≤ 0.05). Surgical approaches included craniotomy (62.0%), transseptal (11.3%), transfacial (12.7%), and transpalatal (4.2%). Mean time to recurrence after craniotomy was 69 months. Endoscopic/endoscopic-assisted approaches were used in 5 cases (7.0%). Commonly reported recurrence sites included subarachnoid (29.6%), dura (21.1%), incision (12.7%), septum (7.0%), and ethmoid sinuses (4.2%).

The potential for iatrogenic tumor seeding exists for numerous skull base lesions, most notably craniopharyngioma and chordomas. Routine surveillance may be necessary owing to significant latency intervals to ectopic recurrence. Although transnasal endoscopic techniques have been extensively employed in recent decades, only a handful of reported cases involve lesions originally treated with this approach. Further direct comparison of traditional approaches with endoscopic approaches may be invaluable in further elucidating the role of surgical technique in tumor implantation and recurrence.