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J Clin Med 2019 Feb 15;8(2). Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August-University Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany.

Chordomas is rare malignant bone tumors thought to arise from remnants of embryonic notochord along the spine, frequently at the skull base and sacrum. Although chordoma is slow growing tumors, while are extremely recurrent, and aggressive, as well as the rate of prognosis remains poorly. Radical surgery and high-dose radiation are the most used treatments. Read More

Br J Neurosurg 2019 Feb 11:1-6. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

a Department of Neurosurgery , Birmingham University Hospital , Birmingham , England.

Purpose: Clival Chordomas are locally aggressive tumours which pose a significant treatment challenge. Endoscopic endonasal approach for clival chordomas is correlated with higher resection rates and lower morbidity rates in comparison to open approaches. We present our initial single institution experience and short-term patient outcomes following endoscopic endonasal approach for resection of clival chordomas. Read More

J Surg Oncol 2019 Feb 7. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University Musculoskeletal Oncology Unit Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.

Background: We reviewed the disease control and complications of the treatment of sacrococcygeal chordoma from four tertiary cancer centers with emphasis on the effects of radiotherapy in surgically treated patients.

Methods: A total of 193 patients with primary sacrococcygeal chordoma from 1990 to 2015 were reviewed. There were 124 males, with a mean age of 59 ± 15 years and a mean follow-up of 7 ± 4 years. Read More

J Neurosurg 2019 Feb;130(2):337-346

2Otorhinolaryngology, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine, New York; and.

OBJECTIVEEndoscopic skull base surgery (ESBS) is a relatively recent addition to the neurosurgical armamentarium. As with many new approaches, there has been significant controversy regarding its value compared with more traditional approaches to ventral skull base pathology. Although early enthusiasm for new approaches that appear less invasive is usually high, these new techniques require rigorous study to ensure that widespread implementation is in the best interest of patients. Read More

Clin Neurol Neurosurg 2019 Jan 25;178:51-55. Epub 2019 Jan 25.

Department of Neurosurgery and Gamma Knife Center, International Medical Center (IMC), 42km. Ismailia Desert Road, Cairo, Egypt. Electronic address:

Objective: This study primarily aims to evaluate the efficacy of gamma knife surgery in controlling growth progression rate of residual clival chordoma through retrospective outcome analysis of 12 consecutive patients.

Patients And Methods: Data for 12 consecutive patients underwent GKS for post-operative residual histologically verified clival chordoma at our institution (IMC - Cairo- Egypt) from 2006 through end of 2017 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed with mean follow-up period of 45 months (range12-120 months).

Results: In the last follow up MR, tumor growth control was achieved in 33. Read More

Radiat Oncol 2019 Feb 1;14(1):24. Epub 2019 Feb 1.

Service de Cancérologie-Radiothérapie, Hôpital A.Michallon, CHU de Grenoble, Grenoble, France.

Background: Carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT) has been delivered to more than 20,000 patients worldwide. International trials have been recommended in order to emphasize the actual benefits. The ULICE program (Union of Light Ion Centers in Europe) addressed the need for harmonization of CIRT practices. Read More

Eur Spine J 2019 Jan 25. Epub 2019 Jan 25.

Department of Orthopedic Oncology, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai, 200003, China.

Purpose: Plasma D-dimer levels, a marker of hypercoagulation, have not only been used as an indicator for cascaded reaction in the coagulation process but are also reported to be an underlying biomarker in several types of cancers. This retrospective cohort study was designed to evaluate the prognostic value of preoperative plasma D-dimer level in patients with spinal chordoma.

Methods: We enrolled 224 patients who underwent surgery for spinal chordoma between 2002 and 2015 at Changzheng Orthopedic Oncology Center. Read More

Nat Med 2019 Feb 21;25(2):292-300. Epub 2019 Jan 21.

Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.

Chordoma is a primary bone cancer with no approved therapy. The identification of therapeutic targets in this disease has been challenging due to the infrequent occurrence of clinically actionable somatic mutations in chordoma tumors. Here we describe the discovery of therapeutically targetable chordoma dependencies via genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 screening and focused small-molecule sensitivity profiling. Read More

J Neurosurg Spine 2019 Jan 18:1-8. Epub 2019 Jan 18.

1Department of Neurosurgery, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; and.

Effective en bloc resection of primary spinal tumors necessitates careful consideration of adjacent anatomical structures in order to achieve negative margins and reduce surgical morbidity. This can be particularly challenging in the cervical spine, where vital neurovascular and connective tissues are present in the region. Early multidisciplinary surgical planning that includes clinicians and engineers can both optimize surgical planning and enable a more feasible resection with oncological margins. Read More

Cancer 2019 Feb 14;125(4):642-651. Epub 2019 Jan 14.

Department of Radiation Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida.

Background: Chordomas and chondrosarcomas are a rare but challenging subset of tumors to treat; however, previous studies have shown benefits from proton therapy, which are thought to be primarily driven by prescription conformality permitting homogeneous tumor dosing and the allowance of higher doses. No retrospective studies to date have directly compared the outcomes of conventional and particle therapy or examined the role of high doses (specifically ≥70 Gy) in definitive radiotherapy (DRT) or perioperative radiotherapy (PRT) for both types of malignancies.

Methods: A total of 863 patients with chondrosarcoma and 715 patients with chordoma treated with nonpalliative proton or conventional radiation therapy with a dose range of 20 to 80 Gy and at least 15 months of follow-up were identified from the National Cancer Data Base for the years 2003-2014. Read More

Clin Cancer Res 2019 Jan 14. Epub 2019 Jan 14.

Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Purpose: We sought to determine the mechanism of an exceptional response in a patient diagnosed with a SMARCB1/INI1-negative chordoma treated with tazemetostat, an EZH2 inhibitor and followed by radiotherapy.

Experimental Design: In an attempt to investigate the mechanism behind this apparent abscopal effect, we interrogated tumor tissues obtained over the clinical course. We utilized next-generation sequencing, standard IHC and employed a novel methodology of multiplex immunofluorescence analysis. Read More

J Neurosurg 2019 Jan 11:1-10. Epub 2019 Jan 11.

1Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University.

OBJECTIVEThe object of this study was to clarify the expression characteristics and prognostic value of survivin in skull base chordomas.METHODSIn this retrospective study, the authors measured the expression of survivin at the mRNA level in 81 samples from 71 patients diagnosed with skull base chordomas at their hospital in the period from July 2005 to January 2015. Clinical data collection, follow-up, and survival analyses were performed, and correlations were analyzed. Read More

Phys Med Biol 2019 Feb 8;64(4):045008. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

Biophysics Department, GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Planckstraße 1, D-64291 Darmstadt, Germany.

We report on a novel method for simultaneous biological optimization of treatment plans for hypoxic tumors using multiple ion species. Our previously introduced kill painting approach, where the overall cell killing is optimized on biologically heterogeneous targets, was expanded with the capability of handling different ion beams simultaneously. The current version (MIBO) of the research treatment planning system TRiP98 has now been augmented to handle 3D (voxel-by-voxel) target oxygenation data. Read More

Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown) 2019 Jan 9. Epub 2019 Jan 9.

Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.

Background And Importance: Traditionally, when a patient presents with a midline chordoma with extension to the mid-S1 body where neither S1 nerve roots can be spared, the recommendation would be to perform a total sacrectomy for en bloc resection. This procedure, however, results in a large bony defect that makes it difficult to achieve fusion across the lumbosacral and sacroiliac junction (SIJ). To help prevent this challenge in the situation described above, we propose performing a high sacrectomy for en bloc resection with placement of an anterior L5-S1 graft instead in specific situations where the tumor extends to the mid-S1 body leaving the superior aspect of S1 unaffected. Read More

Acta Neurochir Suppl 2019 ;125:147-149

Department of Neurosurgery, St Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.

The first high cervical anterolateral retropharyngeal (HCALR) approach was reported by Stevenson et al. for a clivus chordoma in 1966. Anterior approaches to the spine have often been developed in response to problems presented by tuberculous spondylitis. Read More

World Neurosurg 2018 Dec 31. Epub 2018 Dec 31.

Department of Otolaryngology, William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Michigan, USA; Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit, Michigan, USA.

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

Methods: 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. Read More

AME Case Rep 2018 29;2:48. Epub 2018 Nov 29.

Department of Neurosurgery, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.

In the literature, the use of navigation for spine tumor surgery has largely centered on implant placement. We describe the cases of two patients with spinal tumors on whom we utilized our resection technique of registering an ultrasonic bone scalpel (UBS) to a navigation system. In both cases, we achieved a satisfactory tumor resection with negative margins and excellent neurologic outcomes. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2018 Dec;97(52):e13730

Department of Orthopedic Oncology, Beijing Ji Shui Tan Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.

Case Series: To analyze the clinical results and related factors of further surgical treatment for recurrent sacral chordomas.Chordomas are rare primary malignant tumors with a high recurrence rate. The treatment of recurrent tumors is difficult and controversial. Read More

Bosn J Basic Med Sci 2018 Dec 27. Epub 2018 Dec 27.

Department of Neurosurgery, University of Tuebingen Medical Center, Germany.

High-field intraoperative MRI (iMRI) systems provide excellent imaging quality and are used for resection control and update of image guidance systems in a number of centers. A ceiling-mounted intraoperative MRI system has several advantages compared to a conventional iMRI system. In this article, we report on first clinical experience with using such a state-of-the-art, the 1. Read More

Curr Opin Oncol 2019 Mar;31(2):114-120

Department of Medical Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori.

Purpose Of Review: Chordoma is an exceedingly rare subtype of bone sarcoma. This review aims to provide a comprehensive insight into chordoma epidemiology, and an update on the recent advances in disease, biology and medical therapies.

Recent Findings: The incidence of chordoma is approximately 0. Read More

World Neurosurg 2018 Dec 21. Epub 2018 Dec 21.

Department of Neurosurgery, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Via Gerolamo Gaslini, 5, 16147, Genoa, Italy.

Background: Proton therapy has proven to be effective and safe in the treatment of radioresistant skull base tumors such as chordomas. Thanks to the peculiar physical properties of the proton beam, the radiation energy is delivered in a narrow space called the Bragg peak and the surrounding normal tissues receive a minimal amount of the radiation dose. This is important to lower the risk of radiation-induced damage, especially in children. Read More

J Neurosurg 2018 Jul 1. Epub 2018 Jul 1.

Medicine (Baltimore) 2018 Dec;97(51):e13748

Department of Orthopedics, Artificial Joints Engineering and Technology Research Center of Jiangxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang.

Rationale: Chordoma is a relatively rare tumor that accounts for 1% to 4% of all malignant bone tumors, with an annual incidence of <0.1 per 100,000 people. Although chordoma is aligned with the axis of the spine and most commonly develops in the sacrum, to the best of our knowledge, giant sacrococcygeal chordoma is extremely rare. Read More

Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown) 2018 Dec 19. Epub 2018 Dec 19.

Division of Neurosurgery, Toronto Western Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.

The expanded endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) has been growing as a surgical alternative for the treatment of clival chordomas because of their frequent midline location and bone erosion. The endoscopic transclival approach provides with a safer and more direct anatomic route for tumors located predominantly in the midline contributing to minimize postoperative comorbidities. In this video, we demonstrate the step-by-step technique for resection of such challenging clival pathology. Read More

J Spine Surg 2018 Sep;4(3):546-552

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA.

Background: Chordomas are rare malignant tumors of the spinal column often afflicting the upper cervical spine and sacrum. There are few large single center series on chordomas due to its rarity. The purpose of this study is to report a single center's experience with the operative and non-operative management of chordomas. Read More

J Hematol Oncol 2018 Dec 12;11(1):136. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Shandong Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, China.

Precision radiotherapy, which accurately delivers the dose on a tumor and confers little or no irradiation to the surrounding normal tissue and organs, results in maximum tumor control and decreases the toxicity to the utmost extent. Proton beam therapy (PBT) provides superior dose distributions and has a dosimetric advantage over photon beam therapy. Initially, the clinical practice and study of proton beam therapy focused on ocular tumor, skull base, paraspinal tumors (chondrosarcoma and chordoma), and unresectable sarcomas, which responded poorly when treated with photon radiotherapy. Read More

J Vet Diagn Invest 2018 Dec 12:1040638718814584. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Laboratoire d'anatomo-cytopathologie, Biopôle Alfort (Laloy, Sautier, Servely), Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Université Paris-Est, Maisons-Alfort, France.

An 8-y-old, intact female degu ( Octodon degus) was presented with a slow-growing mass on the tail tip. The mass was completely removed by partial caudectomy. Histologically, the last coccygeal vertebra was replaced by a lobulated neoplasm composed of large clear polygonal cells embedded in a myxoid alcian blue-positive matrix with highly vacuolated cytoplasm (physaliferous cells) and intracytoplasmic periodic acid-Schiff-positive granules. Read More

Neurosurgery 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Department of Neurological Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.

Background: Few studies have assessed the prognostic importance of preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan findings in patients undergoing en bloc resection of sacral chordomas.

Objective: To (1) report in-depth imaging characteristics of sacral chordomas, (2) describe the patterns of local and distant recurrence, and (3) determine imaging predictors of overall survival (OS) and local recurrence (LR).

Methods: This retrospective case series was obtained from a prospectively maintained spine database from 1995 to 2016. Read More

Clin Spine Surg 2018 Dec 7. Epub 2018 Dec 7.

Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA.

Of Background Data: Primary osseous spinal neoplasms (POSNs) include locally aggressive tumors such as osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, and chordoma. For such tumors, surgical resection is associated with improved survival for patients. Socioeconomic predictors of receiving surgery, however, have not been studied. Read More

Ophthalmic Plast Reconstr Surg 2019 Jan/Feb;35(1):e12-e13

Oxford University Hospital, Headley Way, Headington, Oxford, United Kingdom.

Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy has been increasingly employed in the treatment of a variety of tumors. The authors report the rarely documented side effect of trichiasis with the use of Afatinib in a patient with spinal chordoma and review-related literature. A 67-year-old lady was referred to the oculoplastic service with a 3-month history of ocular irritation and pain associated with blurred vision. Read More

Cureus 2018 Sep 28;10(9):e3381. Epub 2018 Sep 28.

Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Teodoro Maldonado Carbo / Universidad Catolica De Santiago De Guayaquil, Guayaquil, ECU.

Chordomas are rare, slow-growing, and locally aggressive malignant neoplasms derived from primitive notochord remnants. The chondroid variety represents 14% of all chordomas mainly developing in the spheno-occipital region and presenting between the third and fifth decades of life. When developing intracranially, symptoms can range from headaches and neck pain to cranial nerve neuropathies and facial numbness. Read More

Rep Pract Oncol Radiother 2019 Jan-Feb;24(1):74-79. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

Department of Radiotherapy, Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610041, China.

Aim: The aim of this study was to confirm whether patients with sacral chordoma benefit from adjuvant radiotherapy and to determine the optimal photon radiotherapy module for comprehensive treatment.

Background: Chordoma is a rare slow-growing neoplasm arisen from cellular remnants of the notochord. About 50% occur in the sacrococcygeal region. Read More

Ann Chir Plast Esthet 2018 Nov 30. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Service de chirurgie orthopédique et traumatologie, chirurgie du rachis, hôpital Bicêtre, 78, rue du Général-Leclerc, 94270 Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France.

Background: Sacral chordomas are rare primary bone tumors and represent more than half of all primary malignant sacral tumors. Surgical resection is the only treatment with close to 50% of remission at 10 years, with or without radiotherapy. This tissue removal can be very extensive and morbid, particularly for evolved tumors. Read More

J Neurosurg Spine 2018 Oct 1:1-7. Epub 2018 Oct 1.

OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this study was to investigate the spectrum of current treatment protocols for managing newly diagnosed chordoma of the mobile spine and sacrum.METHODSA survey on the treatment of spinal chordoma was distributed electronically to members of the AOSpine Knowledge Forum Tumor, including neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons, and radiation oncologists from North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Survey participants were pre-identified clinicians from centers with expertise in the treatment of spinal tumors. Read More

J Neurosurg 2018 Nov 1:1-7. Epub 2018 Nov 1.

Departments of1Neurosurgery.

Chordomas are neoplasms that typically arise from midline skeletal structures and rarely originate within the intradural compartment of the CNS. A chordoma arising from the corpus callosum has not been previously described. The authors report the surgical management of a chordoma originating within the splenium of the corpus callosum. Read More

J Immunother Cancer 2018 Nov 29;6(1):133. Epub 2018 Nov 29.

Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Room 8B09, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.

Background: Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) prevent single-stranded DNA repair. Olaparib is a PARPi approved for the treatment of BRCA mutant ovarian and breast carcinoma. Emerging clinical data suggest a benefit of combining olaparib with immunotherapy in prostate cancer patients both with and without somatic BRCA mutations. Read More

Lancet Oncol 2019 Jan 23;20(1):120-133. Epub 2018 Nov 23.

Medical Oncology Department, Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon, France.

Background: Regorafenib has proven activity in patients with pretreated gastrointestinal stromal tumours and colorectal and hepatocellular carcinoma. We designed REGOBONE to assess the efficacy and safety of regorafenib for patients with progressive metastatic osteosarcoma and other bone sarcomas. This trial comprised four parallel independent cohorts: osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, chondrosarcoma, and chordoma. Read More

Radiat Oncol 2018 Nov 26;13(1):232. Epub 2018 Nov 26.

Department of Radiology, Hyogo Ion Beam Medical Center, Tatsuno, Hyogo, Japan.

Background: The usefulness of particle therapy for skull base chordoma has not been established. The aim of this retrospective study was to analyse the treatment outcomes of proton therapy (PT) and carbon ion therapy (CIT) in patients with skull base chordoma at a single institution.

Methods: All patients who underwent PT or CIT with curative intent between 2003 and 2014 at Hyogo Ion Beam Medical Center were included in this study. Read More

World Neurosurg 2018 12;120:603

Pediatric Developmental Disorders Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran. Electronic address:

Asian J Neurosurg 2018 Oct-Dec;13(4):1037-1041

Department of Neurosurgery, Mansoura University Hospital, Mansoura, International Medical Center, Cairo, Egypt.

Background: Skull base chordomas are locally invasive tumors which able to extend in different directions with skull base invasion. Although they are histologically benign, they have invasive nature makes total resection virtually impossible to achieve in most cases and this lead to residual tumors after surgery. To decrease postoperative surgical resection morbidity of these tumors, gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) was performed as alternative management for these residual chordomas to evaluate its safety and efficacy. Read More

Laryngoscope 2018 Nov 19. Epub 2018 Nov 19.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

Chordomas are rare, infiltrative neoplasms of notochordal origin that present along the spinal canal; en bloc surgical resection is paramount to successful treatment. Limited visualization and complex anatomy are major challenges to resection of upper cervical spine chordomas and often require invasive surgery. A 27-year-old male presented with an incidentally discovered chordoma of the midline second cervical vertebra of the spine. Read More

J Neurol Surg B Skull Base 2018 Dec 30;79(6):574-579. Epub 2018 Apr 30.

Department of Neurosurgery, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, United States.

 The fully endoscopic expanded endonasal approach (EEA) has been shown to be safe and efficacious in pediatric patients. However, in the very young patient (ages six and under), the anatomical challenge of working through a small nasal corridor is problematic. The ability to repair the skull base and use a nasoseptal flap (NSF) has also been called into question. Read More

Spine J 2018 Nov 14. Epub 2018 Nov 14.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Oncology Service, Massachusetts General Hospital - Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit St, Boston, MA 02114, USA.

Background: Local recurrence rates are high in sacral chordoma patients. Adjuvant radiotherapy may play a role in increasing local control. Patients with locally recurrent tumors continue to comprise a significant proportion of the sacral chordoma population and appear to have worse prognosis than those with primary tumors. Read More

Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc 2018 07;2018:139-142

Chordoma is a rare primary malignant tumor. For evaluating the related factors of postoperative recurrence probability of chordoma before surgery, we retrospective collected 80 patients to analyze by using a novel radiomics method. A total of 620 3D imaging features used for radiomics analysis were extracted, and 5 features were selected from T2-weighted (T2-w) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that were most strongly associated with 4-year recurrence probability to build a radiomics signature. Read More

J Magn Reson Imaging 2019 Mar 14;49(3):752-759. Epub 2018 Nov 14.

Department of Radiology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, P. R. China.

Background: Preoperative differentiation between primary sacral chordoma (SC), sacral giant cell tumor (SGCT), and sacral metastatic tumor (SMT) is important for treatment decisions.

Purpose: To develop and validate a triple-classification radiomics model for the preoperative differentiation of SC, SGCT, and SMT based on T2-weighted fat saturation (T2w FS) and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (CE T1w) MRI.

Study Type: Retrospective. Read More

BMC Cancer 2018 Nov 14;18(1):1112. Epub 2018 Nov 14.

Department of Orthopaedics, Hospital Sultan Ismail, Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

Background: Sacral chordoma is a locally aggressive malignant tumour originating from ectopic notochordal cells. The natural history of sacral chordoma is a slow growing tumour arising at the midline of the lower sacrum that can invade the sacrum and progressively increase in size expanding cranially and anteriorly. Metastasis is very rare even when the tumour is large. Read More

Cancer Sci 2019 Jan 19;110(1):166-179. Epub 2018 Dec 19.

Department of Orthopedics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China.

Chordomas are rare bone tumors with a poor prognosis and no approved targeted therapy. Y-box binding protein-1 (YBX1) promotes tumor growth, invasion and drug resistance. However, the role of YBX1 in chordoma is unclear. Read More

World Neurosurg 2019 Feb 7;122:e978-e988. Epub 2018 Nov 7.

Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.

Background: Parasellar plasmacytomas are rare tumors arising from the sellar region that should be considered in the differential diagnosis of lesions involving the sella and clivus. Before surgical pathologic examination, parasellar plasmacytomas have often been misdiagnosed as invasive pituitary adenomas or chordomas owing to the similarity of the clinical presentation and imaging findings.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the data from 5 patients with parasellar plasmacytoma who underwent endonasal endoscopic tumor resection in Beijing Tiantan Hospital from January 2008 to January 2018. Read More

World Neurosurg 2019 Feb 2;122:96-97. Epub 2018 Nov 2.

Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. Electronic address:

A 65-year-old man presented with a giant recurrent sacral chordoma after undergoing 7 surgical resections. Neurologic examination revealed urinary incontinence. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a huge mass lesion in the bilateral gluteal regions and multiple metastatic chordomas. Read More