eMedicine Specialties > Neurosurgery > Spine

Skull Base Tumors: Follow-up

Author: Todd C Hankinson, MD, MBA, Resident in Neurological Surgery, Department of Neurological Surgery, Neurological Institute of New York, Columbia University
Coauthor(s): Jeffrey N Bruce, MD, Edgar M Housepian Professor of Neurological Surgery Research, Professor of Neurological Surgery, Director of Brain Tumor Tissue Bank, Director of Bartoli Brain Tumor Laboratory, Department of Neurosurgery, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons; Grant P Sinson, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin; G Timothy Reiter, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, Penn State College of Medicine; Director, Department of Spinal Neurosurgery and Neurotrauma, Penn State Hershey Medical Center
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: May 29, 2007

Outcome and Prognosis

Because skull base tumors can be any one of many unrelated tumors, outcome and prognosis vary.

Benign tumors, such as meningiomas, can be resected with minimal mortality and acceptable morbidity. In a series of skull base meningiomas published in 1994 by Sekhar, the rate of total excision was 60%, the postoperative mortality rate was 15%, and the postoperative major morbidity rate was 16%.14 Sixty percent of patients developed a new cranial nerve deficit, and 3% of the patients had a recurrence.

Malignant tumors, such as nasopharyngeal carcinoma and esthesioneuroblastoma, can also be controlled with skull base resection. In a 1989 study by Levine et al, a survival rate of 82% was obtained with craniofacial resection of esthesioneuroblastoma, compared with a rate of 37% before the technique of skull base resection. In a study by Van Tuyl and Gussack, dural invasion was a factor associated with prognosis; when this occurs, prognosis is worse.15

Future and Controversies

As surgical techniques continue to evolve, the morbidity and mortality rates of surgery to resect skull base lesions should continue to decrease. Additionally, advances in medical therapy, radiosurgery, and endoscopic techniques will contribute to improved outcomes while decreasing the morbidity associated with treatment. The indications and applications of these techniques continue to evolve.

 


More on Skull Base Tumors

Overview: Skull Base Tumors
Workup: Skull Base Tumors
Treatment: Skull Base Tumors
Follow-up: Skull Base Tumors
Multimedia: Skull Base Tumors
References
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References

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Further Reading

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Keywords

skull base tumors, brain tumor, skull base surgery, skull-base tumor, skull-base surgery, brain surgery, skull-base mass, skull base mass, brain mass, meningioma, intracranial tumor, schwannoma, chondrosarcoma, chordoma, metastatic bone lesion, osteoma, en plaque tumor, en masse tumor, neurinoma, neurilemoma, acoustic neuroma, anterior cranial fossa tumor, juvenile angiofibroma, esthesioneuroblastoma, inverted papilloma, lymphomas, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, orbital glioma, orbital tumor, orbital mass, rhabdomyosarcoma, osteogenic sarcoma, ossifying fibroma, esthesioneuroblastoma, olfactory neuroblastoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, middle cranial base tumor, pituitary adenoma, craniopharyngioma, temporal bone tumor, cholesteatoma, enchondroma, posterior cranial fossa tumor, epidermoid tumor, dermoid tumor, chondroma, glomus tumor, paraganglioma

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Todd C Hankinson, MD, MBA, Resident in Neurological Surgery, Department of Neurological Surgery, Neurological Institute of New York, Columbia University
Todd C Hankinson, MD, MBA is a member of the following medical societies: American Association of Neurological Surgeons, American Medical Association, and Congress of Neurological Surgeons
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Jeffrey N Bruce, MD, Edgar M Housepian Professor of Neurological Surgery Research, Professor of Neurological Surgery, Director of Brain Tumor Tissue Bank, Director of Bartoli Brain Tumor Laboratory, Department of Neurosurgery, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Jeffrey N Bruce, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, New York Academy of Sciences, North American Skull Base Society, Society for Neuro-Oncology, and Southwestern Oncology Group
Disclosure: NIH Grant/research funds Other

Grant P Sinson, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin
Grant P Sinson, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association of Neurological Surgeons and American Medical Association
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

G Timothy Reiter, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, Penn State College of Medicine; Director, Department of Spinal Neurosurgery and Neurotrauma, Penn State Hershey Medical Center
G Timothy Reiter, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association of Neurological Surgeons
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Michael G Nosko, MD, PhD, Chief, Division of Neurosurgery, Director of Neurovascular Surgery, Medical Director of Neuroscience Unit, Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Medicine and Dentistry at New Jersey
Michael G Nosko, MD, PhD is a member of the following medical societies: Academy of Medicine of New Jersey, Alpha Omega Alpha, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, American College of Surgeons, American Heart Association, American Medical Association, New York Academy of Sciences, and Society of Critical Care Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Managing Editor

Allen R Wyler, MD, Former Medical Director, Northstar Neuroscience, Inc
Allen R Wyler, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Neurological and Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and Society of Neurological Surgeons
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

Paolo Zamboni, MD, Professor of Surgery, Chief of Day Surgery Unit, Chair of Vascular Diseases Center, University of Ferrara, Italy
Paolo Zamboni, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Venous Forum and New York Academy of Sciences
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Allen R Wyler, MD, Former Medical Director, Northstar Neuroscience, Inc
Allen R Wyler, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Neurological and Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and Society of Neurological Surgeons
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

 
 
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