0 a rare bone cancer that grows slowly and usually develops along the spine or at the base of the skull
While most people with chordoma have no other family members with the disease, rare occurrences of multiple cases within families have been documented.
Chondroid chordomas appear to have a more indolent clinical course.
This approach is used to remove chordomas, chondrosarcoma, inflammatory lesions of the clivus, or metastasis in the cervical spine region.
This suggests that some people may be genetically predisposed to develop chordoma.
The proximity of chordomas to vital neurological structures such as the brain stem and nerves limits the dose of radiation that can safely be delivered.
Chordomas are relatively radioresistant, requiring high doses of radiation to be controlled.
Furthermore, germ line duplication of brachyury confers major susceptibility to chordoma.
