a rare tumour of notochordal cells

a tumor that comes from a part of the spine or skull -- called the notochord -- that is left over from fetal life

A malignant tumor that occurs usually at the base of skull, or the base of the spinal cord (coccyx). This tumor is derived from the remnants of the embryonic notocord.

A malignant tumor which arises from the embryonic remains of the notochord.

A rare, benign, slow growing tumor that occurs at the base of the skull in about 1/3 of patients or at the end of the spine.

Chordoma is a rare slow-growing malignant neoplasm thought to arise from notochordal cell remnants. In the United States, the incidence of chordoma is approximately 1 in one million per year. The average 10 year tumor free survival rate is less than 50%.