Abstract Chordomas and chondrosarcomas are rare, typically slow-growing tumors; although individual patients can experience a considerably varied disease course. Understanding key prognostic factors can be a critical element in counseling…
Abstract Chordoma and chondrosarcoma are related malignant bone tumors with some unusual features, such as their ability to dedifferentiate into high-grade sarcoma and abundance of extracellular matrix. Surgery remains the…
Abstract Skull base chordomas have a notorious tendency to recur even after wide radical removal of the soft tissue and osseous tumor and extensive drilling removal of surrounding bone. Their…
Abstract Chordomas and chondrosarcomas that cannot be controlled by local therapies are a pressing medical challenge because the efficacy of available systemic therapy is limited and unproven. Cytotoxic chemotherapy has…
Abstract Chordomas and chondrosarcomas are rare tumors in children, even more so than in adults. Pediatric chordomas predominantly occur in the head and neck. In children, chondrosarcomas occur more frequently…
Abstract Protons are currently the most frequently used ions in the radiation treatment of chordomas and chondrosarcomas. Because of their biological and physical advantages, carbon ions promise further improvement in…
Abstract Chordomas and chondrosarcomas of the base of the skull and cervical spine are vexing therapeutic problems because of their location and proximity to several critical structures. Recurrence after surgery…
Abstract Background: Negative surgical margins are uncommon for skull base, spinal/paraspinal sarcomas. As such, preoperative and/or postoperative radiation therapy is often recommended to improve local control (LC). Surgical resection achieving…
Abstract While surgical excision represents the primary curative modality for chondrosarcomas and chordomas, tumor-free surgical margins can be difficult or impossible to achieve in the spine without significant morbidity. Therefore,…
Abstract Chordomas are slow-growing tumors of bone thought to arise in notochord remnants. They are rare, locally aggressive, and infiltrative tumors that can occur anywhere along the axial skeleton. Optimal…
