Abstract
Introduction Chordoma is a malignant and aggressive tumor originating from remnants of the primitive
notochord and usually involving the axial skeleton. Spontaneous regression of clival
chordomas was described recently. We present the third case report of spontaneous
regression of a clival chordoma and discuss similarities of cases and implications
for clinical practice.
Case Description We present the case of a previously healthy 21-year-old Caucasian woman who presented
with progressive holocranial headache for 3 months, which encouraged image investigation.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an osteolytic clival lesion hyperintense
in T2 and hypointense in T1 images. After 2 months of initial evaluation and surgical
proposal, she repeated MRI to allow use for intraoperative neuronavigation. Surprisingly,
there was tumor regression.
Discussion The present reported case is somehow different from previous ones and does not share
an underlying inflammatory/immunological recognizable fact, being interpreted by us
as a spontaneous partial regression of the tumor. We highlight the need for continuous
investigation of chordoma regression to uncover the underlying mechanisms.
Keywords
brain neoplasm - chordoma - regression - clivus - recurrence
