Chondroid chordoma of the parapharyngeal space: A case report and review of literature

Parapharyngeal space (PPS) tumors are a rare entity and account for less than 1% of all head and neck tumors. Although they exhibit a benign behavior, malignant neoplasms may arise from any of the structure contained in the space. Differential diagnosis of a PPS mass can be determined based on its origin from the prestyloid or poststyloid space. Furthermore, the choice of surgical approach is dictated by the size of the tumor, its location, its relationship to the great vessels, and suspicion of malignancy. Chordomas are rare, slow-growing tumors arising from remnants of the notochord. They are locally aggressive malignant neoplasms. The majority of head and neck chordomas arise in the skull base with a small minority arising along the cervical spine. In this report, we describe the first case of a patient with a chondroid chordoma of the PPS with no direct involvement of the axial skeleton.