Chordoma

Overview

Each year, Mayo Clinic diagnoses and treats a wide spectrum of bone tumors, including chordoma. Chordomas occur mainly on the spine, sacrum and at the base of the skull and represent about 1 percent of all malignant bone tumors.

Chordoma patients at Mayo Clinic receive compassionate and comprehensive care from specialists in Orthopedic Surgery, Medical Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Neurosurgery and others, as needed. Mayo Clinic treats more than 19,500 new cancer patients each year, making Mayo one of the largest cancer treatment facilities in the nation.

Specialists at Mayo Clinic are dedicated to providing the most effective care possible by taking the time to thoroughly understand each patient's health issues and concerns. The National Cancer Institute has designated the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center as a comprehensive cancer center because of its depth and breadth of capabilities. The commitment to advance cancer care through research is evident at the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center.

Diagnosis

A biopsy is necessary to confirm a diagnosis of chordoma. A biopsy is essential to a patient's long-term outcome. Specialists at Mayo Clinic understand the proper techniques for biopsy and coordinate input from the entire surgical team. Imaging tests may also be necessary to help find the cause of certain symptoms. Read more about chordoma diagnosis.

Treatment

The goal of chordoma treatment at Mayo Clinic is to completely remove the tumor to provide the patient with a chance for a cure. Physicians treat chordoma using surgery, which is the primary treatment method, and also radiation and chemotherapy. Read more about chordoma treatment.

• Treatment in Arizona
• Treatment in Florida
• Treatment in Minnesota

About Chordoma

Chordomas are rare bone tumors that occur in people of all ages and are not inherited or associated with any medical conditions. They occur in one in 1 million people each year, more often in males than females. For unknown reasons, they are rare in African Americans.

During the first two trimesters of pregnancy, a notochord, a rodlike coil of cells, is developing into the spinal cord. Chordoma may arise from remnants of the notochord, or areas where the notochord did not fully develop into the spinal cord.

Chordoma can occur almost anywhere along the spine.

• 60 percent occur on the sacrum (base of the spine)
• 25 percent are occipital (base of the skull)
• 5 percent are thoraco-lumbar (thoracic and lumbar parts of the spinal column)

There are three types of chordoma:

• Conventional, the most commonly diagnosed chordoma
• Chondroid, not as aggressive as conventional chordoma
• Dedifferentiated, the most aggressive type of chordoma