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Chordoma is a primary bone tumor derived from embryonic notochord tissue, often occurring in the lower spine, destroying local structures, and potentially affecting neurological function. Patients in early to middle age may present with lumbosacral pain, radiating leg pain, or symptoms of nerve compression.
The annual incidence of this disease is extremely low, about 0.1–0.8 per million people worldwide. Statistics from the United States, Europe, and Japan are relatively complete, while Southeast Asian countries such as China, Thailand, and Malaysia also report sporadic cases, though data coverage is less comprehensive due to the concentration of treatment centers.
Local bone structure destruction
Chordomas grow slowly but are invasive, destroying vertebrae and surrounding ligaments, leading to spinal instability, spinal deformity, and even spinal cord compression.
Neurological function damage
When tumors invade nerve roots or the spinal cord, patients may experience numbness, muscle weakness, or severe neurological symptoms such as bladder and bowel dysfunction.
Difficult to completely remove
The tumor often has unclear boundaries, making residual tissue common and recurrence rates high. Repeated surgeries increase the risk of complications.
Limited treatment options
Traditional radiotherapy shows limited sensitivity, and chemotherapy has no standard protocol. Patient treatment requires multidisciplinary collaboration, including surgery, radiotherapy, and emerging immunotherapies.
Immune reconstruction cell therapy involves extracting the patient’s own immune cells (such as CAR-T or NK cells), expanding and engineering them in vitro, and reinfusing them to enhance anti-tumor effects. It is particularly advantageous in targeting microscopic residuals or latent lesions in chordoma, activating the immune system to identify and clear malignant cells, reducing recurrence risk, and improving quality of life. This approach combines precise targeting with immune activation and is a current research hotspot.
In clinical practice, tumor patients undergoing traditional treatments such as surgery and radiotherapy often face immune dysfunction, increased infection risks, and slow recovery. To better support patients, improve tolerance, and enhance quality of life, phased immune reconstruction plans tailored to different treatment cycles are needed.
● Short-term plan: Rapidly enhance immunity through immune cell reinfusion to strengthen anti-tumor treatment effectiveness.
● Mid-term plan: Reduce side effects of traditional treatments, promote recovery, and complete standardized therapy courses.
● Long-term plan: Improve overall immunity through immune cell reconstruction, gut immune reconstruction, elemental immune reconstruction, and immune nutrition reconstruction, thereby improving quality of life and prolonging survival.
1. Surgical resection
Minimally invasive resection, assisted by a microscope or robot, allows precise removal of lesions, reducing tissue damage and bleeding while shortening recovery time. Common methods include transforaminal endoscopic excision and robot-assisted epidural clearance. Compared with traditional open craniotomy or open surgery, minimally invasive approaches offer advantages but require high technical expertise.
2. Radiotherapy
Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) or proton/heavy ion therapy can focus high-dose radiation on the lesion, minimizing impact on surrounding spinal cord and nerves. It is suitable as postoperative adjuvant therapy or for inoperable cases. Efficacy is stable but requires advanced equipment and specialized teams.
3. Chemotherapy and targeted therapy
Although conventional chemotherapy is less effective for chordoma, multi-targeted drugs against VEGFR and PDGFR pathways (such as sunitinib) are entering clinical trials and show potential for controlling lesion growth. Chemotherapy is mainly used as palliative care, while targeted therapy is considered a promising future direction.
Although chordoma is rare, its severe local invasiveness, high treatment difficulty, and recurrence risk necessitate multidisciplinary collaborative treatment. Immune reconstruction cell therapy shows broad prospects as an emerging therapy. Experts at United Life International Medical Center recommend patients choose comprehensive treatment strategies to ensure maximal lesion clearance and reduce recurrence risk.
