Medical Specialties Commons^™

Lumbar Chordoma: A Primary Bone Tumor, Andrew N. Fleischman, Bs, Brian O'Hara, Md

Department of Pathology Honors Program Student Research Symposium

INTRODUCTION

• Primary malignant bone tumor of embryonic notochord remnants
• 1-4% of primary bone tumors, <0.1 per 100,000
• Location: Sacral (50%), Skull base (35%), Vertebral column (15%)
• Classic, chondroid (5-15%), and dedifferentiated (5%) variants
• Most commonly in late middle age (50s to 60s)
• Low-grade, slow growing tumor
• But locally aggressive, high rate of local recurrence (20% in 1^st year)
• Local recurrence is most important predictor of mortality
• Metastasis only occurs very late in disease
• Median survival of about 6 years, less than 12 months with mets
• 5 year survival of 70%, 10 year survival of 40%
• Primary therapy- aggressive surgical resection (if possible) …