Chordoma / Disease

Diseases & Conditions

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Chordoma

Synonyms of Chordoma

Clival Chordoma
Familial Chordoma
Intracranial Chordoma
Sacrococcygeal Chordoma
Skull Base Chordoma
Spinal Chordoma

Disorder Subdivisions

General Discussion
Chordomas are very rare primary bone tumors that can arise at almost any point along the axis of the spine from the base of the skull to the sacrum and coccyx (tailbone). The incidence of chordoma in the general U.S. population is about 8 per 10,000,000 people. They occur somewhat more often in males than females and, for unknown reasons, are rare in African Americans. Under the microscope, chordoma cells appear to be benign, but because of their location, invasive nature, and recurrence rate, the tumors are considered to be malignant. They arise from cellular remnants of the primitive notochord, which is present in the early embryo. In normal mammalian development, the notochord and substances produced by it are involved in forming the tissues that give rise to vertebrae. Normally, the tissues derived from the notochord disappear after the vertebral bodies have begun forming. However, in a small percentage of people, some tissues from the notochord do not disappear. Rarely, these leftover tissues give rise to chordomas.

About one-third of chordomas are found in the region around the clivus. The clivus is a bone in the base of the skull. It is located in front of the brainstem and behind the back of the throat (nasopharynx). Chordomas occur with equal frequency in the skull base, the vertebrae and the sacrococcygeal area towards the bottom of the spine.

Symptoms of the presence of chordomas vary with their location and size. Most chordomas occur randomly among the population (sporadic). However, some people develop this tumor as a result of a mutation inherited as an autosomal dominant trait.

Organizations related to Chordoma

American Brain Tumor Association
2720 River Road
Des Plaines IL 60018
Phone #: 847-827-9910
800 #: 800-886-2282
e-mail: [email protected]
Home page: http://www.abta.org
American Cancer Society, Inc.
1599 Clifton Road NE
Atlanta GA 30329
Phone #: 404-320-3333
800 #: 800-227-2345
e-mail: N/A
Home page: http://www.cancer.org
Brain Tumor Foundation for Children, Inc.
1835 Savoy Drive
Atlanta GA 30341
Phone #: 770-458-5554
800 #: --
e-mail: [email protected]
Home page: http://www.braintumorkids.org
Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada
620 Colborne Street
Ontario None N6B 3R9
Phone #: 519-642-7755
800 #: 800-265-5106
e-mail: [email protected]
Home page: http://www.braintumour.ca
Brain Tumour Foundation, United Kingdom
P.O. Box 123
Tewkesbury None GL20 7PT
Phone #: 016-84 -290439
800 #: --
e-mail: [email protected]
Home page: N/A
Cancer Research UK
PO Box 123
London Intl WC2A 3PX
Phone #: 020--72-42 0200
800 #: N/A
e-mail: N/A
Home page: http://www.imperialcancer.co.uk
Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation
P.O. Box 498
Kensington MD 20895-0498
Phone #: 301-962-3520
800 #: 800-366-2223
e-mail: [email protected]hters,org
Home page: http://www.candlelighters.org
Childhood Cancer Foundation - Candlelighters Canada
55 Eglinton Avenue East
Toronto, Ontario Intl M4P 1G8
Phone #: 416-489-6440
800 #: 800-363-1062
e-mail: [email protected]
Home page: http://www.childhoodcancer.ca
Children's Brain Tumor Foundation
274 Madison Avenue
New York NY 10016
Phone #: 212-448-9494
800 #: 866-228-4673
e-mail: [email protected]
Home page: http://www.cbtf.org
Chordoma Support Group
None
None None None
Phone #: N/A
800 #: N/A
e-mail: [email protected]
Home page: http://groups.msn.com/chordoma
Friends of Cancer Research
2231 Crystal Drive
Arlington VA 22202
Phone #: 703-302-1503
800 #: N/A
e-mail: [email protected]
Home page: http://www.focr.org
Lance Armstrong Foundation
PO Box 161550
Austin TX 78716-1150
Phone #: 512-236-8820
800 #: 866-235-7205
e-mail: N/A
Home page: http://www.livestrong.org
MUMS (Mothers United for Moral Support, Inc) National Parent-to-Parent Network
150 Custer Court
Green Bay WI 54301-1243
Phone #: 920-336-5333
800 #: 877-336-5333
e-mail: [email protected]
Home page: http://www.netnet.net/mums/
National Brain Tumor Society
124 Watertown Street, Suite 2D
Watertown MA 02472
Phone #: 617-924-9997
800 #: (80-0) -770-8287
e-mail: [email protected]
Home page: http://www.braintumor.org
National Cancer Institute
6116 Executive Blvd, MSC 8322, Room 3036A
Bethesda MD 20892-8322
Phone #: 301-435-3848
800 #: 800-422-6237
e-mail: N/A
Home page: http://www.cancer.gov
Pituitary Network Association (PNA)
P.O. Box 1958
Thousand Oaks CA 91358
Phone #: 805-499-9973
800 #: --
e-mail: [email protected]
Home page: http://www.pituitary.org,
Wellness Community
919 18th Street N.W.
Washington DC 20006
Phone #: 202-659-9709
800 #: 888-793-9355
e-mail: [email protected]
Home page: http://www.thewellnesscommunity.org

For a Complete Report

This is an abstract of a report from the National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc. ? (NORD). A copy of the complete report can be obtained for a small fee by visiting the NORD website. The complete report contains additional information including symptoms, causes, affected population, related disorders, standard and investigational treatments (if available), and references from medical literature. For a full-text version of this topic, see http://www.rarediseases.org/search/rdblist.html