What is a skull base lesion?

What is a skull base lesion?

Skull base tumors most often grow inside the skull but occasionally form on the outside. They can originate in the skull base as a primary tumor or spread there from a cancer elsewhere in the body as a metastatic brain tumor. Skull base tumors are classified by tumor type and location within the skull base.

Are skull lesions serious?

Calvarial lesions can be benign or malignant. Although the majority of skull lesions are benign, it is important to be familiar with their imaging characteristics and to recognise those with malignant features where more aggressive management is needed.

Are skull lesions cancerous?

Skull base tumors are growths that can form along the base of the skull or directly below the skull base in areas such as the sinuses. Many are benign (noncancerous) and grow slowly over time. In rare cases, a skull base tumor can be cancerous, which means that it is able to spread to other parts of the body.

Can skull base tumors be cured?

Doctors use radiation therapy after surgery for skull base tumors that cannot be completely removed safely and to treat the most malignant tumors. Radiation therapy is also used to treat skull base tumors located in areas of the brain where surgical removal is unsafe.

What causes lesions on the skull?

Metastases represent the most frequent cause of multiple skull lesions. They are usually secondary to breast, lung, prostate, kidney, and thyroid cancers in adults and to neuroblastoma or sarcomas in children [1–4].

What’s the difference between a lesion and a tumor?

A lesion describes any area of damaged tissue. All tumors are lesions, but not all lesions are tumors. Other brain lesions can be caused by stroke, injury, encephalitis and arteriovenous malformation.

What are cystic lesions?

Cystic-appearing lesions arising in the peritoneal cavity can be classified according to their cause (congenital, neoplastic, reactive or proliferative, infectious or inflammatory, iatrogenic or traumatic) (1) or histologic definition (true cysts, pseudocysts, trapped fluid, solid lesions mimicking a cyst) (Table 1).

What is a lesion on the prostate mean?

Two important histopathological prostatic lesions are benign prostatic hyperplasia and Prostatic carcinoma. These lesions cause enlargement of prostate gland, constricting the urethra and thus causing various urinary symptoms.

How are skull base tumors removed?

Surgeons place the endoscope through the nasal cavity and sinuses and then into the skull base. The endoscope enables doctors to see the tumor and the complex skull base structures, including important nerves and blood vessels. Surgeons place small tools alongside the scope and into the skull base to remove the tumor.

What is the difference between cyst and cystic lesion?

A cyst is a small sac filled with air, fluid, or other material. A tumor refers to any unusual area of extra tissue. Both cysts and tumors can appear in your skin, tissue, organs, and bones….Identifying cysts and tumors.

Characteristic	Cyst	Tumor
firm		✓
tender	✓
able to move around under skin	✓