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Updated: Dec 31, 2025
Role of Diffusion MRI Tractography in Endoscopic Endonasal Skull Base Surgery
Published on: July 5, 2021
Natural Growth Dynamics of Untreated Skull Base Chordomas In Vivo
Ke Wang1, Si-Ning Xie2, Liang Wang1
1Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Fengtai District, Beijing, People's Republic of China; China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Fengtai District, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Objective:
To study the natural growth dynamics of skull base chordomas.
Methods:
A retrospective study of skull base chordomas was performed. Patients with ≥2 preoperative magnetic resonance (MR) images and with pathologically confirmed chordomas were enrolled. All clinical data and MR images were studied.
Results:
Twenty-one patients with pathologically confirmed skull base chordomas were enrolled. The mean volume of the tumors at diagnosis was 19.9 ± 17.0 cm3, with a mean interval examination period of 22.4 ± 26.1 (range, 3-113) months. The mean tumor volume change was approximately 15.4 ± 16.3 cm3. The mean specific growth rate was 8% ± 9% per month, and the mean specific growth volume was 0.8 ± 0.7 cm3 per month. The tumor MR signal index grade, female gender, no dura mater breakthrough, endophytic type, small tumors, and soft tumor texture were related to a higher tumor growth rate (P < 0.05), and small tumors showed the greatest growth rate compared with the middle-sized and large tumors. Curve estimation was performed using a power function (R2 = 0.545).
Conclusions:
The skull base chordoma is a slow-growing tumor. The cases involving characteristics of female gender, endophytic type, small tumor size, and MR grade 3 showed a higher growth rate.
