Surgical Outcomes of Clival Chordoma Through Endoscopic Endonasal Approach: A Single-Center Experience.

Clival chordoma is a locally aggressive tumor with low metastatic potential. In the past decade, endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) for clival chordoma has had a higher resection rate and a lower morbidity rate than transcranial approaches. Here, we present our initial single-center experience after EEA of clival chordomas. This study retrospectively analyzed 17 consecutive patients with clival chordoma who received EEA in our department between March 2015 and September 2021. The operation was performed by a single surgeon with EEA. The clinical and pathological characteristics were analyzed along with the surgical outcomes and complications. A total of 17 consecutive patients with clival chordoma received EEA with a median follow-up of 29.2 months (range 1-79). Gross total resection (GTR) was performed in 7 cases (41%), subtotal resection (STR) in 7 case (41%) and partially resection (PR) in 3 cases (18%). Cerebrospinal fluid leakage occurred in 2 cases (12%) and meningitis developed in 3 patients (18%) which were all successfully treated with intravenous antibiotics without any complications. There were no perioperative deaths or new focal neurological deficits postoperatively. Four in 7 patients with STR have had radiotherapy while the other three chose to be monitored. Till the last follow-up, three patients in STR group who received radiotherapy (3 in 4) had no tumor regrowth, while one in STR group with radiotherapy (1 in 4) showed tumor progression. Two patients in STR group without radiotherapy (2 in 3) showed stable tumor while the left one (1 in 3) showed tumor progression. One patient in the PR group died of tumor progression 2 years postoperation and the other one showed tumor progression and died of lung cancer 1 year postoperation. In addition, 1 in 7 patients with GTR had tumor recurrence in situ after 10 months and developed surgical pathway seeding in the spinal canal in C1 after 16 months. No recurrence occurred in the other 6 cases with GTR during the follow-up. Although more cases are needed, our case series showed EEA is a safe and reliable method for clival chordoma with high resection rates and low morbidity rates. GTR without tumor residuum would improve the outcome.

Chen G ，Li M ，Xu W ，Wang X ，Feng M ，Wang R ，Liu X ... -  《Frontiers in Endocrinology》

Clival chordomas: considerations after 16 years of endoscopic endonasal surgery.

Zoli M ，Milanese L ，Bonfatti R ，Faustini-Fustini M ，Marucci G ，Tallini G ，Zenesini C ，Sturiale C ，Frank G ，Pasquini E ，Mazzatenta D ... -  《-》

Endoscopic endonasal surgery for Clival Chordomas - a single institution experience and short term outcomes.

Yousaf J ，Afshari FT ，Ahmed SK ，Chavda SV ，Sanghera P ，Paluzzi A ... -  《-》

Operative nuances and surgical limits of the endoscopic approach to clival chordomas and chondrosarcomas: A single-center experience of 72 patients.

Gross total resection (GTR) is the mainstay therapy for chordomas and chondrosarcomas to have the best prognosis. The aims of this study were to specify the limits of EEA, emphasize the need for additional combined approaches for tumors beyond these limitations for high resection rates, discuss the prognostic factors and operative nuances that affect GTR, and present the causes and characteristics of early and late recurrences. We retrospectively analyzed the endoscopic endonasal surgeries in the Pituitary Research Center and Neurosurgery Department of the Kocaeli University Faculty of Medicine, Turkey between January 2004 and December 2019. We retrospectively reviewed the medical data, radiological images, and surgical videos of patients, and 72 patients with chordoma and chondrosarcoma were included in the study. Based on pathology reports, 72 patients (seven pediatric) were identified, to whom 91 endoscopic operations were performed. We determined the surgical limitations for each clival segment as superior, middle, and inferior. Then, we divided these into three subgroups according to whether the tumor shows dural invasion (extradural chordoma, large extradural - minimal intradural component, and minimal extradural - large intradural component). The tumors of 19 (26.4%), 25 (26.4%), and nine (12.5%) patients originated from the superior, middle, and inferior clivus, respectively. Nineteen (26.4%) patients had panclival involvement. GTR was performed in 47 (65.3%) the patients. The GTR rate in patients with panclival tumors was 47.3% (9/19). The experience, lateralization, dural involvement, and origin of the clivus affecting GTR were analyzed. Extradural - intradural extensions were verified as negative predictor factors for GTR, whereas tumors located in the superior (OR: 16.710, p=0.030) and middle (OR: 11.154, p=0.023) segments were positive predictive factors for GTR. An increasing experience in endoscopic surgery significantly increases the GTR rates by widening the surgical limitations. Due to dense bone infiltration and adhesion to critical neurovascular structures, recurrence rates are high despite performing GTR. Although surgery and adjuvant treatments improve the 5-year survival of patients, the mortality rates remain high. Therefore, surgery of these tumors should be performed by experienced centers. In addition to surgical and adjuvant therapies, targeted molecular and translational biological therapies are also needed for chordomas and chondrosarcomas in the future.

Ceylan S ，Emengen A ，Caklili M ，Ergen A ，Yılmaz E ，Uzuner A ，Icli D ，Cabuk B ，Anik I ... -  《-》

Iatrogenic seeding of skull base chordoma following endoscopic endonasal surgery.

Fernandes Cabral DT ，Zenonos GA ，Fernandez-Miranda JC ，Wang EW ，Gardner PA ... -  《-》