Comparison of prognosis of skull base chordoma treated by surgical resection and gamma knife surgery

Abstract

To analyze the complication, survival and life quality, and to explore the efficacy and prognosis of skull base chordoma treated by open surgery and gamma knife surgery (GKS). Thirty-eight patients with skull base chordomas who underwent an open surgery and another 19 patients who underwent GKS between January 2002 and January 2010 were followed up. The Karnofsky performance scale (KPS) at admission,discharge and follow-up, and recurrent rates were calculated through SPSS life-table, and survival rate curve was used to evaluate the efficacy and prognosis. Forty patients were followed up, and the survival rate of 1, 3 and 5 years was 92.6%, 74.3% and 60% in 27 patients with open surgery, and 100%, 83.3% and 62.5% in 13 patients with GKS respectively. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups (χ(2)=0.867, P=0.353). There was no significant difference in the KPS score between the 2 groups (P=0.138). Despite the poor prognosis of skull base chordoma, GKS can effectively improve the survival rate and present life quality of patients with skull base chordoma.