Object: Chordomas have a high propensity for local recurrence and progression, as well as for systemic and cerebrospinal fluid metastasis. The authors identified and analyzed a series of patients with chordomas, focusing on an underrecognized pathological entity-surgical seeding of tumor cells.
Methods: In a retrospective analysis of 82 patients with chordomas treated over a 10-year period (1990-2000), the authors found six patients (7.3%) in whom surgical seeding had occurred. In five (83%) of these patients the primary tumor was located at the clivus. In one (17%), the tumor was present at the cervical spine. There were two male (33%) and four female patients (67%) whose mean age was 34 years. The seeding sites, which were separate from the primary tumor, were located along the operative route or in the abdomen where fat was removed. The seeding was diagnosed 5 to 15 months (mean 12 months) after surgery. One seeding site was present in five patients, and 17 seeding sites were present in one patient. The involved tissues included mucosa, bone, dura, muscle, and fat. After resection, all seedings were confirmed histologically.
Conclusions: Seeding of chordomas occurs along the operative route and at distant locations where tissue is harvested. Early diagnosis and aggressive surgery are recommended. Based on the results of this study, the authors suggest that surgical techniques, postoperative radiotherapy, neuroradiological follow-up protocol, and even research on chordomas should be reevaluated.