Background: Osteosarcoma of the skull base is rarely observed; most published studies comprise case reports. The clinical features and optimal treatments have not been clearly established. The purpose of this article is to present 19 cases of skull base osteosarcoma and review the literature to analyse the clinical features and treatment of skull base osteosarcoma.
Methods: The clinical data of 19 patients with skull base osteosarcoma from January 2005 to December 2016 were retrospectively analysed; pertinent English literature from 1976 to 2016 was reviewed.
Results: Six female and 13 male patients were included. The ages ranged from 11 to 55years (mean 34years). Gross-total resection of the tumour was achieved in 13 cases, and nearly total resection was achieved in 6 cases. Five cases were treated with surgery alone, whereas 14 cases received comprehensive treatment. The follow-up period ranged from 3 to 132months (mean 33months) with 17 patients who underwent follow-up. The median survival durations of the patients who underwent surgery alone and who received comprehensive treatment were 18 and 50months, respectively. The literature results were similar to the current findings. Overall, the 5-year survival rates of the patients in our series and in the literature were 30.5% and 37.8%, respectively.
Conclusions: Skull base osteosarcoma had a low complete resection rate, a high recurrence rate and a poor prognosis because of the complex anatomy and vital structures involved. Radical surgery with comprehensive treatment is most appropriate for this disease.
Keywords: Clinical features; Comprehensive treatment; Osteosarcoma; Skull base.
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