Chordomas are rare, low grade, slowly growing, but usually fatal malignant tumors which arise in the remnants of notochord. Involved in the order of frequeney are the sacro-coccygeal area, the spheno-occipital area, and the other vertebral aiea. Trauma appears to play a relevant role in the etiopathogenesis. Complete surgical excision can result in a cure in a few selected sacrococcygeal or sphenoid- al cases but incomplete removal or tumor spillage in the wound are certain to lead to recurrence probable metastasis and death. Its seem to be relatively radioresistant and chemoresistant. The best treatment for unresectable lesions seems tobypallia-tive surgery plus radiotherapy. This case is a sacro-coccygeal chordoma that was treated by irradiation after local excision. |