title: [Pathology of myxoid bone tumors of the skull base].
abstract: Myxoid bone tumors of the skull encompass chordomas and chondrosarcomas. Their accurate diagnosis is usually a challenge and it is of utmost importance to identify chordomas because of the poorer prognosis. Even if the topography of the tumor is suggestive (median versus lateral), modern imaging is not specific enough and the diagnosis is based on histological features. We report nine cases of myxoid bone tumors of the skull including four chordomas, one chondroid chordoma and four chondrosarcomas. Smears are useful for rapid intraoperative diagnosis. Chondrosarcomas show cords of small round cells in a myxoid background while chordomas are made of multilayered sheets of larger, often vacuolated cells. Histology shows areas of cartilaginous matrix associated with myxoid areas in chondrosarcomas and in chondroid chordomas. Immunohistochemistry is determinant showing the expression of epithelial markers and Tau protein in chordomas only.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Anatomie Pathologique et de Neuropathologie, rue Saint-Pierre, 13385 Marseille Cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gavril
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bouvier
authors.forename: Agnès
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Liprandi
authors.forename: Henri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dufour
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Peragut
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zanaret
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Figarella-Branger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D002813:Chondrosarcoma / Q000473:pathology; D002817:Chordoma / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012888:Skull Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*