Rare Forms Of Cancer To Be Aware Of

The Frightening Truth About Chordoma

Chordoma is a form of bone cancer found in the skull and spine and is only diagnosed in one in a million individuals per year. Chordoma tumors affect approximately three-hundred Americans, and seven-hundred Europeans per year, with the average age being those in their fifties and sixties, however, it can affect anyone at any age. This extraordinarily rare cancer grows from minuscule remnants of cartilage left behind from when the patient was in utero, and experts have indicated it is not caused by genetics. Chordoma is part of a group of malignant bone and soft tissue tumors known as sarcomas. Chordoma grows quite slowly but aggressively, which often leads to headaches, neck pain, double vision, loss of bowel and bladder function, and a tingling sensation in the arms and legs.

This condition accounts for approximately three percent of all bone tumors and twenty percent of primary spinal tumors. Despite its rarity, Chordoma is the most common type of tumor that affects the sacrum and cervical spine.

Next, let’s unearth how to treat this rare condition.