Intrasellar chordomas mimicking pituitary adenoma

Abstract

Whereas chordomas involving the sellar region are uncommon, largely or entirely intrasellar chordomas are rare. The authors report three cases in which the chordomas filled the pituitary fossa and presented as nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas. All lesions exhibited the typical histological patterns and immunophenotype of chordoma. One tumor, studied ultrastructurally and subjected to DNA analysis, was shown to have a diploid histogram. The authors present a clinicopathological study of these three cases and review the literature on intrasellar chordomas.