Sarcomatous transformation in cranial chordoma

Francis H. Tomlinson, Bernd W. Scheithauer, Peter A. Forsythe, K. Krishnan Unni, Fredric B. Meyer

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

30 Scopus citations

Abstract

IN A STUDY of 52 patients with cranial chordoma treated at the Mayo Clinic over a 19-year period (1966–1984), two tumors showed anaplastic features, both de novo, i.e., unassociated with prior irradiation. The incidence of anaplastic transformation was thus 4%. Immunohistochemistry showed the mixed mesenchymal-epithelial phenotype typical of chordoma in portions of both tumors, but loss of reactivity for keratin and epithelial membrane antigen was noted in anaplastic components. The study indicates that sarcomatous change in chordoma is a rare event that may occur de novo and is associated with the loss of immunophenotypic features of epithelial differentiation.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)13-18
Number of pages6
JournalNeurosurgery
Volume31
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 1992

Keywords

  • Cranial chordoma
  • Sarcomatous change

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Surgery
  • Clinical Neurology

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