Chordoma

Our approach to chordoma treatment

Our team is among the largest chordoma treatment groups in the world with access to the most advanced therapies available under one roof. Our patients get all the care they need from:

• Medical oncologists
• Neurologists
• Neurosurgeons
• Nutritionists
• Orthopedic surgeons
• Pathologists
• Radiation oncologists

Chordoma can be challenging to diagnose because symptoms often resemble more common conditions. Accurate diagnosis is essential to starting treatment as early as possible. Our clinicians are experts in identifying the unique signs of chordoma through:

• Advanced imaging (MRI and PET/CT scans)
• Neurological exams
• Needle biopsy to obtain and test tissue and cell samples
• World class pathologists who can make the diagnosis

Our surgeons have extensive experience treating chordoma in complex and hard-to-reach areas of the spine and skull base. Surgical approaches are carefully selected to remove as much tumor as possible while protecting surrounding healthy tissue. Techniques may include:

• En bloc resection for tumors involving the spine
• Transoral robotic surgery to noninvasively access and remove tumors located at the skull base

Our radiation oncologists offer therapies designed to treat chordoma while protecting healthy tissue. Depending on your diagnosis, options may include:

• Proton beam therapy, a highly focused form of radiation often used for skull base and spinal tumors to limit exposure to nearby organs and tissue
• Photon radiotherapy using most modern techniques, including intensity-modulated radiation therapy, volumetric modulated arc therapy, and stereotactic body radiotherapy