ChordomaSymptoms, Doctors, Treatments, Advances & More
Learn About Chordoma
View Main Condition: Brain Tumor
A chordoma is a rare type of cancerous tumor that can occur anywhere along the spine, from the base of the skull to the tailbone. Chordomas grow slowly, gradually extending into the bone and soft tissue around them. They often recur after treatment, and in about 40 percent of cases the cancer spreads (metastasizes) to other areas of the body, such as the lungs.
Changes in the TBXT gene have been associated with chordoma. An inherited duplication of the TBXT gene identified in a few families is associated with an increased risk of developing a chordoma. Duplications or increases in activity (expression) of the TBXT gene have also been identified in people with chordoma who have no history of the disorder in their family. In these individuals, the changes occur only in the tumor cells and are not inherited.
Chordomas are rare, occurring in approximately 1 per million individuals each year. Chordomas comprise fewer than 1 percent of tumors affecting the brain and spinal cord.
When development of a chordoma is associated with a duplication of the TBXT gene inherited from a parent, one copy of the altered gene in each cell is sufficient to increase the risk of the disorder, which is an inheritance pattern called autosomal dominant. People with this duplication inherit an increased risk of this condition, not the condition itself.
UPMC Neurological Institute - Presbyterian
Dr. Gardner is the Peter J. Jannetta Endowed Chair of neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and director of the Center for Skull Base Surgery. He specializes in endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery, pituitary tumors, Neuroendoport brain surgery, and vascular neurosurgery. Dr. Gardner is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Chordoma. He is also highly rated in 61 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Chordoma, Pituitary Tumor, Meningioma, Nerve Decompression, and Endoscopic Transnasal Transsphenoidal Surgery. Dr. Gardner is board certified in American Board Of Neurological Surgery. Dr. Gardner is currently accepting new patients.
UPMC Neurological Institute - Presbyterian
Dr. Zenonos became the associate director of the UPMC Center for Cranial Base Surgery in July 2019 after receiving extensive formal subspecialization in his field. He is one of a handful of board-certified neurosurgeons to have completed two fellowships in skull base surgery. At the University of Pittsburgh, one fellowship focused on endoscopic and minimally invasive approaches, and the other centered on complex open skull base approaches. His fellowship at the University of Miami was on complex cranial and cerebrovascular neurosurgery. Dr. Zenonos is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Chordoma. He is also highly rated in 22 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Chordoma, Meningioma, Olfactory Neuroblastoma, Gamma Knife Radiosurgery, and Cerebral Artery Bypass Surgery. Dr. Zenonos is board certified in American Board Of Surgery. Dr. Zenonos is currently accepting new patients.
Jean-paul Wolinsky is a Neurosurgery provider practicing medicine in Chicago, Illinois. He has been practicing medicine for over 28 years. Dr. Wolinsky is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Chordoma. He is also highly rated in 11 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Chordoma, Bone Tumor, Spinal Tumor, Spinal Fusion, and Laminectomy. Dr. Wolinsky is board certified in American Board Of Neurological Surgery - Neurological Surgery (Certified).
Published Date: May 01, 2015
Published By: National Institutes of Health
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