What is notochordal cell tumor?
Benign notochordal cell tumors are vertebral lesions that are usually asymptomatic and discovered incidentally on imaging of the head or spine. As this is a poorly-recognized entity, it can often be confused with aggressive vertebral lesions, such as a chordoma, when it is seen on imaging.
What is a notochordal remnant?
Remnants of the notochord usually remain near the midline and are entrapped in bone. Chordomas are a malignant tumor that can develop from the notochord remnants. The nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral discs represent residual notochord.
What is a chordoma?
Chordoma is a slow growing cancer of tissue found inside the spine. Chordoma can happen anywhere along the spine. It is most often found near the tailbone (called a sacral tumor) or where the spine meets the skull (called a clival tumor). Chordoma is also called notochordal sarcoma.
What are the notochordal remnants in adults?
In humans, most notochordal cells are eventually sequestered into the nucleus pulposus and disappear within the first decade of life. Although notochordal remnants and related lesions have been described in the axial skeleton of adults, their presence in intervertebral disks is rare.
What does sacral chordoma feel like?
These bones are commonly referred to as S1-S5. can cause changes in bowel and/or bladder function, pain, aching, tingling, numbness, or weakness of the arms and legs. Often, sacral chordomas do not cause symptoms until the tumor is quite large, and sometimes a lump is the first sign of a sacral chordoma.
Can you feel a tailbone tumor?
Symptoms of Spinal Chordoma However, many patients with sacral chordoma have very little to no symptoms at early stages of the disease except for local pain. Depending on the location of the chordoma in the spine, the bone tumor may compress the spinal nerves or spinal cord.
Can a tumor cause tailbone pain?
Tailbone pain may stem from chordoma, a rare, cancerous tumor that develops in your spine, the base of your skull, or your tailbone. As the mass grows, it can cause pain. Symptoms of chordoma include: A noticeable mass.