Malignant tumors of the anterior cranial skull base.

Malignant tumors of the anterior cranial skull base are still a challenge for radical surgical treatment. Several different techniques and approaches have been developed over the years and the results, with mortality rates over 50%, are still not encouraging. Here we present our results of an interdisciplinary, one-stage, neurohino transfronto-transbasal surgical approach in twelve patients with such tumors. The long-term survival rate in our patients is now 83% with a mean postoperative follow-up of 19.3 months. Two patients died due to early recurrencies and metastasis after 10 and 13 months after initial treatment and postoperative irradiation. Another five patients with a follow-up of 34.2 months have had tumor recurrencies diagnosed at 19.5 months postoperatively. These patients have survived their recurrent tumor for 14.7 months. Five patients, 41% of the whole group, have been living without evidence of tumor recurrence for between 2 and 35 months.