Spinal chordoma

Abstract

Chordomas are slow growing tumors, representing 1 to 4% of primary malignant bone tumors. Surgical resection has been well established as the standard of care in the management of spine chordomas. A number of cases suggest that en bloc surgical resection is associated with decreased local recurrence and improved survival, however, gross total resection of chordomas is often limited by proximity to and involvement of eloquent structures. The most frequent surgical complications in the resection of spinal chordomas include cerebrospinal fluid leak, and transient or permanent spinal cord or nerve damage [1, 2]. Therefore, subtotal resection is often combined with radiation therapy. This chapter will examine the efficacy of CyberKnife in treating chordomas of the spine.