Chordoma care at Mayo Clinic
Your Mayo Clinic care team
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Bruce Pawelk: I grew up hunting and fishing. I've been a lifelong member of Minnesota, you know? A few years ago I was experiencing lower back pain. I went to my regular doctor, and they decided to do an MRI. Biopsy was performed, and they came in and told me, "You have cancer. You have a very deadly cancer."
Michelle Clarke, M.D., Neurosurgery, Mayo Clinic: Bruce was diagnosed with a chordoma, and that is a type of tumor that grows often in the sacrum or the skull base through the top and bottom of the spine. And it is a slowly growing but fairly aggressive tumor. Now the treatment for a chordoma is an aggressive surgery where we take the tumor out in one piece.
Bruce Pawelk: Dr. Clarke is one of the few doctors in the world that could do this surgery. She explained to me with great confidence, I can get this thing. You could see it in her eyes. This gal wasn't going to lose.
Dr. Clarke: Because it is so complicated, very few people are interested in doing it. And Mayo Clinic is one of the places where we are easily able to get these multi-disciplinary teams together and perform such complex surgeries.
Bruce Pawelk: You meet this team, and this team thoroughly, thoroughly goes through every process, and explains it to you, what's going to happen.
Dr. Clarke: One of the major concerns we had with surgery was losing function of the legs, especially his feet, which would have really made it difficult for him to do a lot of the things that he really enjoys doing.
Bruce Pawelk: When I came to after surgery, I was in intensive care. And one of the surgeons came in and pushed on my feet and said, "Can you feel this?" I said, "Yeah." "Can you wiggle your toes?" I wiggled my toes. "Can you push on my hands?" I pushed on her hands and she goes, "Yes!"
Dr. Clarke: Bruce is actually doing very well. And it is amazing when he comes back and talks about all the things he's doing.
Bruce Pawelk: I love to walleye fish. I love just to go snowshoeing in the woods. These are things that I always did, and I still can do them, but now it's with a whole different passion, a whole different meaning.
Dr. Clarke: The goal for all of us is to cure his cancer. And he has worked just as hard as we have to make that happen.
Bruce Pawelk: Through Mayo, I was able to regain my life I had before. I didn't have to go into that wheelchair that I feared so much. It really changes the outlook of your life.
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Your Mayo Clinic care team may include neurosurgeons, neuroradiologists, neuro-oncologists, orthopedic surgeons, orthopedic oncologists, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, neurologists with subspecialty expertise in tumor diagnosis and management, rehabilitation specialists, and other experts who work together to provide exactly the care you need.
Having all this expertise in a single place, focused on you, means that you're not just getting one opinion — your care is discussed among the team, your test results are available quickly, appointments are scheduled in coordination, and the most highly specialized chordoma experts in the world are all working together for you. You receive comprehensive care for the diagnosis and treatment of your condition, with access to in-depth counseling, unbiased review of all available treatment options, follow-up care and rehabilitation.
The doctors at Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center provide excellent care for people with chordoma. Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center with three locations in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota.
Spinal tumor consultation
Advanced diagnosis and treatment
Mayo Clinic experts continuously pioneer new ways to diagnose and treat chordoma. These include advanced radiation therapy and surgical innovations, such as image guided and intraoperative CT. Skull base tumor surgeries may use technologies, such as 3D endoscopy or simulations that combine surgery and proton beam therapy. Mayo Clinic experts also can create holographic images and 3D models of the tumor prior to surgery, which provides improved presurgical planning.
Radiation therapy for chordoma requires precise planning to avoid hurting nearby spinal cord and brain tissues. Radiation oncologists use the latest treatment techniques to carefully plan and deliver radiation to the tumor and minimize radiation to nearby structures. Examples include intensity-modulated radiation therapy and stereotactic body radiotherapy.
And Mayo Clinic is one of a limited number of healthcare facilities in the United States that offers a Proton Beam Therapy Program. Proton therapy is a type of radiation that uses energy from protons. The proton beams can be shaped so that they deliver the energy to exactly the right spot to hurt the tumor cells.
Expertise and rankings
The top experts at Mayo Clinic have extensive experience caring for people with chordoma. Experts work in teams to provide you with exactly the care you need.
At Mayo Clinic, you can expect:
- Advanced diagnostic and treatment capabilities. Mayo Clinic offers rapid diagnostic testing and assessments by a team of skilled experts. Neurologists and neurosurgeons work with experienced tissue analysts to identify chordomas.
- Comprehensive cancer center. Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center meets the strict standards for a U.S. National Cancer Institute comprehensive cancer center. These standards recognize scientific excellence and a multispecialty approach focused on cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
- Experience you can trust. Mayo Clinic doctors trained in brain and spine conditions and surgeries have experience in evaluating and treating adults and children with skull base and spinal tumors, including very rare types like chordoma.
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, are ranked among the Best Hospitals for cancer by U.S. News & World Report. Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, is ranked as the top hospital in Minnesota and Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, is ranked as the top hospital in Arizona.
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, has been ranked among the Best Hospitals for neurology and neurosurgery and for cancer in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
Locations, travel and lodging
Mayo Clinic has major campuses in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; and Rochester, Minnesota. The Mayo Clinic Health System has dozens of locations in several states.
For more information on visiting Mayo Clinic, choose your location below:
Costs and insurance
Mayo Clinic works with hundreds of insurance companies and is an in-network provider for millions of people.
In most cases, Mayo Clinic doesn't require a physician referral. Some insurers require referrals or may have additional requirements for certain medical care. All appointments are prioritized on the basis of medical need.
Learn more about appointments at Mayo Clinic.
Please contact your insurance company to verify medical coverage and to obtain any needed authorization prior to your visit. Often, your insurer's customer service number is printed on the back of your insurance card.
Oct. 17, 2025