Chordomas are slowly growing, locally aggressive neoplasms of the axial skeleton and account for 1 to 4% in all maligant bone tumor. Their presumed origin is from embryonic notochord. Approximately 50% of chordomas arise in the sacrococcygeal
region,
35% at the clivus, and 15% in the true vertebra.
The symptoms in patients with vertebral chordomas are usuallly back and radicular pain, although tumors in the cervical region may produce dysphagia because of an expanding retropharyngeal mass.
Once the diagnosis of chordoma is established, the correct treament is complete resection. But since the majority of patients do not undergo curative resection, additional therpy, including postoperative irradiation and combination chemotherapy
have to
be considered.
Recently we experienced one case of 62 years old woman who had suffered from right sided posterior neck pain, right sided shoulder pain, and right sided foarm paresthesia for 1 year prior to admission.
Transoral extirpation was done and tumor was proved as chordoma. (Korean J Otolaryngo1 39 : 6, 1996)
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