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We report two cases of basicranial chondrosarcomas. Intracranial chondrosarcomas are particularly rare, amounting to 0.15% of all intracranial tumours. Their most frequent location is the skull base (76.19%), and more precisely the middle cranial fossa, as they arise from the spheno-occipital synchondrosis. Some intracerebral chondrosarcomas have also been reported. We also refer shortly to another kind of malignant cartilaginous neoplasm that was recently identified by Lichtenstein and Bernstein (1959). This is the mesenchymal chondrosarcoma. Fifteen cases of this have been reported.

The authors present five patients with mucocele, submitted to neurosurgery. Two had mucoceles spreading from the frontal and/or the anterior ethmoidal sinuses and had only compressive mass symptoms, either on the ocular globe or on the frontal lobe or on both. Three patients had mucoceles growing from the sphenoid and/or posterior ethmoidal sinuses. In these latter, the mass symptoms were less evident. All the patients suffered excruciating retro-ocular pain and two presented cranial nerve damage. The correct diagnosis in these cases is crucial to avoid a too aggressive treatment since these patients are generally sent to a neurosurgeon for a suspected cranial base malignancy or an invasive pituitary adenoma. The principles of a correct differential diagnosis and of operative treatment are outlined based on an analysis of the literature and the authors experience.

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One hundred and three patients with hemispheric supratentorial glioblastoma multiforme were studied. All patients were operated on and a histologic diagnosis of glioblastoma multiforme was made. Patients were randomly placed in one of three treatment schedules within 3 weeks of surgery: Group A: combined radiation therapy and drug (CCNU) therapy (26 cases); Group B: CCNU given orally every 6-8 weeks (27 cases); Group C: standard radiation therapy alone (50 cases). All patients were periodically controlled by clinical and instrumental (EEG, scan, EMG, CAT) evaluations; laboratory data examinations were also frequently performed. The treatment results have been evaluated according to length of survival, social quality of life, and positive or negative response to chemotherapy. In our opinion the clinical findings are interesting but the statistical results are somewhat negative, especially when the groups of patients are not homogeneous.