CLIVAL CHORDOMAS

"No matter what stage of the disease you are facing or where your tumor is located, the way surgery is performed is very important.”

OVERVIEW

Chordoma is a type of bone cancer that belongs to the sarcoma family. This rare cancer affects only one in a million people, which is why it is very difficult to find true expertise in its management. DrJFM is one of very few Skull Base Surgeons with true expertise and innovation in Chordoma treatment worldwide.

THE IMPORTANCE OF EXPERTISE

As recommended by The Chordoma Foundation: “It is important to go...where doctors have experience diagnosing and treating chordoma as soon as chordoma is suspected. You should avoid having a biopsy or surgery to confirm the diagnosis of chordoma outside of a referral center because, if not done properly, these procedures can cause the chordoma to spread… If you cannot travel to see a doctor who has experience with chordoma, have your imaging tests sent to a doctor with chordoma experience for a second opinion before you get treatment or a biopsy.”

TREATMENT

Chordoma treatment begins with surgery.

As stated by The Chordoma Foundation “No matter what stage of the disease you are facing [new, recurrent, advanced, metastatic] or where your tumor is located, the way surgery is performed is very important.”

The preferred surgical treatment for most chordomas of the skull base is the Endoscopic Endonasal Approach (EEA).

DrJFM has been at the forefront of the development and refinement of EEA for skull base chordomas, describing multiple anatomical nuances and novel surgical techniques relevant for successful chordoma surgery.

When the entire tumor is successfully removed, patients statistically live longer and the tumor is less likely to grow back. In fact, cases with favorable tumor genetics AND complete resection, might not need radiation therapy

If your entire tumor was not successfully removed with the first surgery, consider getting a second opinion on removing the remaining tumor before starting radiation.