a giant cell tumor of the glenoid fossa extending to the basal skull a 32 year follow up

Abstract Giant Cell Tumors (GCTs) are rare benign neoplasms that typically occur at the epiphyses of long bones in the extremities. Very rare is the occurrence of those lesions in the skull, where they show a tendency for significant bone destruction and local recurrence. We present a case of a 36-year-old woman that presented with right pre-auricular swelling. Imaging revealed destruction of the glenoid fossa with penetration of temporal bone, skull base and central cranial fossa. Histopathological analysis revealed a giant cell tumor of the bone. An incomplete resection of this lesion has been performed due to the extensiveness and location of the tumor into the skull. In contrary to literature findings which advocate additional radiotherapy after subtotal resection to prevent recurrence, a 32-year follow-up using MRI showed no volume increase nor recurrence of the lesion compared to the initial scans. Keywords Giant cell tumor; Glenoid fossa; Recurrence; Skull base