Primary craniofacial chordoma: case report

A 37-year-old man presented with right facial pain and a nonpalpable mass over the malar eminence. An incisional biopsy via the intraoral route was performed and interpreted as a vascular malformation with degenerative changes. His symptoms persisted, and a repeat biopsy was suggestive of an epithelioid nerve sheath tumor. Total resection of the tumor was planned to include the infraorbital and malar regions, the infratemporal fossa, and the pterygopalatine fossa. At surgery, the tumor was removed with tumor-free margins obtained along the course of the maxillary nerve just before its entrance into the cavernous sinus. The pathological findings and the immunohistochemistry demonstrated a typical chordoma with no chondroid or sarcomatous dedifferentiation. We think that with greater use of immunohistochemical markers and electron microscopy, patients with chordoma in this location may be diagnosed promptly and accurately.