Intradural chordoma presenting with intratumoral bleeding

Intrasellar hemorrhagic chordoma masquerading as pituitary apoplexy: case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE

Chordomas are centrally located, expansile soft tissue neoplasms that arise from the remnants of the embryological notochord. Hemorrhagic presentation is exceedingly rare and can resemble pituitary apoplexy. Moreover, a purely intrasellar location of a chordoma is extremely uncommon. We report a case of a hemorrhagic intrasellar chordoma in an adult male, which presented similarly to pituitary apoplexy and was resolved with surgical resection.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION

A 69-year-old male presented with a 4 week history of acute onset headache and concurrent diplopia, with significantly reduced testosterone and slightly reduced cortisol. His left eye demonstrated a sixth cranial nerve palsy. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed a large hemorrhagic mass in the pituitary region with significant compression of the left cavernous sinus and superior displacement of the pituitary gland. The patient underwent an endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach for the resection of the lesion. Near total resection was achieved. Final pathology revealed chordoma with evidence of intratumoral hemorrhage, further confirmed by immunopositive stain for brachyury. Post-operatively, the patient had improved diplopia and was discharged home on low dose hydrocortisone. At 3-month follow-up, his diplopia was resolved and new MRI showed stable small residual disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Apoplectic chordomas are uncommon given chordoma's characteristic lack of intralesional vascularity and represent a diagnostic challenge in the sellar region. Our unique case demonstrates that despite our initial impression of pituitary apoplexy, this was ultimately a case of apoplectic chordoma that responded well to endoscopic endonasal surgery.

Intratumoral Platelets: Harmful or Incidental Bystanders of the Tumor Microenvironment?

Simple Summary

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is the complex and heterogenous ecosystem of solid tumors known to influence their growth and their progression. Besides tumor cells, the TME comprises a variety of host-derived cell types, ranging from endothelial cells to fibroblasts and immune cells. Clinical and experimental data are converging to indicate that platelets, originally known for their fundamental hemostatic function, also participate in tumor development and shaping of the TME. Considering the abundance of antiplatelet drugs, understanding if and how platelets contribute to the TME may lead to new therapeutic tools for improved cancer prevention and treatments.

Abstract

The tumor microenvironment (TME) has gained considerable interest because of its decisive impact on cancer progression, response to treatment, and disease recurrence. The TME can favor the proliferation, dissemination, and immune evasion of cancer cells. Likewise, there is accumulating evidence that intratumoral platelets could favor the development and aggressiveness of solid tumors, notably by influencing tumor cell phenotype and shaping the vascular and immune TME components. Yet, in contrast to other tumor-associated cell types like macrophages and fibroblasts, platelets are still often overlooked as components of the TME. This might be due, in part, to a deficit in investigating and reporting the presence of platelets in the TME and its relationships with cancer characteristics. This review summarizes available evidence from clinical and animal studies supporting the notion that tumor-associated platelets are not incidental bystanders but instead integral and active components of the TME. A particular emphasis is given to the description of intratumoral platelets, as well as to the functional consequences and possible mechanisms of intratumoral platelet accumulation.

Hemorrhagic Skull Base Chordoma Presenting As Chordoma Apoplexy

Intratumoral hemorrhage/apoplexy in clival chordomas is extremely uncommon, with only 16 reported cases. The average age of patients was 46.2 years and slightly more than half were men. In cases published before 1990, all patients died from their disease without any intervention. Since then, 11 patients have undergone resection by a variety of approaches and there have been no deaths. The diagnosis of skull base chordomas relies on a combination of clinical presentation and radiographic features related to the location and invasion of the tumor. Chordomas presenting with sudden-onset symptoms should alarm the surgeon of a possible hemorrhage. As an illustration of this presentation, we describe a 58-year-old woman who presented with acute-onset headache and cranial nerve deficits. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a hemorrhagic clival lesion with cavernous sinus extension. The patient underwent transsphenoidal resection of the lesion that resulted in the resolution of her symptoms. Histopathological evaluation of the lesion was consistent with chordoma with acute hemorrhagic components. Although intratumoral hemorrhage is rarely detected in chordomas, it should be considered a differential diagnosis of such lesions because prompt recognition and treatment are critical for patient survival.

Nonenhancing intracranial intradural chordoma mimicking an epidermoid cyst on magnetic resonance imaging: a case report

Chordomas are relatively rare malignant tumors derived from embryonic notochord remnants. Most intracranial chordomas show extradural extension and cause bone erosion. However, a small percentage of these tumors are exclusively intradural and tend to show less aggressive features, although local recurrence and metastatic spread have been described. Intradural chordomas with imaging features similar to epidermoid cysts are exceedingly rare. We describe the case of a nonenhancing and nondestructive intradural prepontine chordoma showing restricted diffusion on magnetic resonance imaging on a 44-year-old man who presented with acute-onset vertigo and vomiting. Subtotal resection of the lesion was performed followed by adjuvant radiation therapy. Histopathological examination revealed a chordoma. This case report highlights the need to include intradural chordomas in the differential diagnosis of a nonenhancing and nondestructive prepontine intradural lesion demonstrating restricted diffusion. Gross total resection, adjuvant radiation therapy in cases of macro/microscopical residual disease and regular follow-up imaging assessment are warranted due to the possibility of local recurrence and metastatic dissemination.

Management challenges associated with a pineal region chordoma: illustrative case

BACKGROUND

Chordomas, which are rare malignant neoplasms arising from notochordal remnants, often cause gradually progressive clinical symptoms. Intradural cranial chordomas (ICCs) are extremely rare and generally have a favorable prognosis. However, the authors reported the case of a primary ICC originating in the pineal gland presenting with recurrent thalamic hemorrhage and displaying an aggressive postoperative clinical course.

OBSERVATIONS

A 41-year-old man arrived at the emergency department with morning headaches and recurrent syncope that had lasted several months. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a pineal gland mass causing obstructive hydrocephalus and a subacute hematoma in the right thalamus. Three weeks after an endoscopic third ventriculostomy was performed, recurrent hemorrhage was observed in the right thalamus. The tumor was promptly removed surgically. The yellowish-white tumor did not exhibit abundant bleeding. No evidence of intratumoral hemorrhage around the hematoma pocket was found. Histopathological examination revealed the characteristics of a chordoma with minimal vascularity. MRI performed 10 weeks postoperatively for worsening headaches revealed abnormal enhancement of multiple cranial nerves, suggesting leptomeningeal seeding (LMS) of the tumor.

LESSONS

Despite radiotherapy and intrathecal chemotherapy, the patient’s neurological status worsened; he died 2 years postoperatively. A pineal ICC may cause recurrent thalamic hemorrhage and potentially fatal LMS, even in the early postoperative period.

Chordoma of the corpus callosum: case report

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. To determine the incidence and distribution of intracranial intradural chordoma, a literature search for additional cases was performed. MEDLINE was searched using the MeSH keyword "chordoma," yielding 2010 articles. These articles were screened for cases of primary intradural chordoma rostral to the craniocervical junction, which led to the identification of 46 relevant articles. The authors report the case of a 69-year-old man who initially presented with nonspecific neurological symptoms including spatial disorientation and cognitive decline. These symptoms eventually prompted intracranial imaging, including MRI, which revealed a ring-enhancing, heterogeneous, cystic mass localized within the splenium of the corpus callosum and extending into the bilateral ventricles. The lesion was believed to represent a high-grade glioma and the patient underwent a left interhemispheric approach and subtotal resection. After pathologic evaluation confirmed a diagnosis of an anaplastic chordoma, the patient underwent further resection. A gross-total resection (GTR) was achieved with a transfalcine approach to the contralateral portion of the tumor. Postoperatively, the patient had a partial left homonymous quadrantanopsia, but was otherwise at his neurological baseline. Proton beam radiotherapy was performed to the resection cavity but diffuse intraventricular disease ensued. The results of a literature search suggest that a chordoma arising in the corpus callosum has not been previously described. The present case demonstrates that chordomas can occur in the corpus callosum, and illustrates the utility of a transfalcine approach for GTR of lesions in this location, as well as the need for improved strategies to prevent intraventricular dissemination.

Diffuse spinal spreading following previous intracranial intradural chordoma resection: A rare case report

INTRODUCTION

Chordoma is a malignant tumor that usually involves the axial skeleton. Intradural chordomas are even rarer and 37 cases have been reported to the best of our knowledge. We present a case of a patient with an atypical metastatic diffuse intradural spinal involvement.

CASE DESCRIPTION

We present a 33-year-old woman previously submitted to five brain surgeries to treat a posterior fossa intradural chordoma since December 2012. Currently, she presented almost with right and left hemiplegia (grade 2 bilaterally) and also left oculomotor, adbucent and facial nerve paresis. We performed neuroaxis magnetic resonance MR which disclosed stability of posterior fossa tumor which was previously irradiated. However, there were new intradural lesions at the level of C3, T11/T12 and L4/L5/S1 vertebrae.

DISCUSSION

With the advent of contemponaeous surgery, radiotherapy options and even available chemotherapy to treat Chordomas (Imatinib), patients may experience enlarged survival and thus face complications such as drop metastases along neuroaxis. Our case illustrates a late (6 years) follow-up presentation of an initial posterior fossa intradural chordoma. It suggests that whole neuraxis involvement may be the final presentation of all patients harbouring chordomas and surviving after adequate initial treatment.

Intradural Chordoma of Cerebellopontine Angle: Case Report and Review

BACKGROUND

Chordomas are rare, notochord-derived neoplasms. Of these tumors, intradural chordomas are exceedingly rare. Most occur within the prepontine, parasellar, or other midline intradural locations. An intradural chordoma arising from the cerebellopontine angle has not been described previously.

CASE REPORT

We describe the first case of an intradural chordoma originating from the left cerebellopontine angle resected over the course of 2 operations.

CONCLUSIONS

Intradural chordomas are rare and can arise anywhere in the posterior fossa. Lack of bony involvement on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are indicative of this pathology when there is also a lack of markers indicating the presence of more common cerebellopontine angle tumors. Treatment goals should include gross total resection and possible radiation therapy.