Abstract
Aims Primary skull bone tumors, benign or malignant, are rare, and include a vast repertoire
of lesions. These tumors are not reported systematically in the literature, with most
studies being on individual entities or as single case reports.
Methods Primary bone tumors diagnosed over a period of 12 years were retrieved, histological
diagnoses reviewed, and clinical parameters noted.
Results We identified 125 primary skull bone tumors. The mean age at diagnosis was 32 years
(range: 2–65 years). Majority of patients were adults (82.4%); male preponderance
was noted (72.8%). Malignant tumors were more frequent than benign tumors. Most common
malignant tumor was chordoma (n = 37), while most common benign tumor was osteoma (n = 7). Tumors were most frequently located at the skull base, of which clivus was
most common location. Chordomas accounted for majority of clival tumors, while chondrosarcoma
predominated at other skull base locations. Benign tumors were extremely rare in skull
base. Tumors of the vault bones were infrequent; with chondrosarcoma and osteoma being
the most common malignant and benign tumors, respectively.
Conclusions This is the largest series of primary skull bone tumors from India. Documentation
of such a series will aid in approaching differential diagnosis of skull tumors in
a systematic manner.
Keywords
bone tumors - skull - skull base - chondrosarcoma - chordoma
