Sacrococcygeal chordoma

Abstract

Introduction: chordomas are rare tumors, whose degree of malignancy ranges from low to intermediate. They are derived from the notochord and grow slowly. Its incidence is 0,1 % cases per million inhabitants and represent 1-4 % of the primary malignant bone tumors.

Objective: to report on the first case of a patient with sacrococcygeal cordoma, diagnosed in the Provincial Teaching Clinical Surgical Hospital "Manuel Ascunce Domenech" of Camagüey.

Case presentation: 60 years old female patient. A year before, she manifested pain in the sacral region, intense and sharp, located at the beginning and subsequently irradiated to the right sciatic region. Due to this she experienced impediments to the march. Other symptoms were urinary retention, rectal bleeding and constitutional syndrome. During rectal examination, a presacral tumor was detected, with a hard, painful consistency of approximately 10 x 7 cm. The patient underwent surgery and radiotherapy.

Discussion: the clinical manifestations are closely related to the location of the tumor and are, mainly, gastrointestinal and nervous. However, the most frequent cause of medical consultation is pain. Histologically, the tumor is formed by notochordal tissue, which is formed by physaliferous cells. Therefore, other neoplasms must be taken into account as differential diagnoses.

Conclusions: sacrococcygeal chordoma is a rare and poorly studied tumor. Its symptoms are common to other disorders, which makes early diagnosis difficult. However, its course has a good prognosis, with a high degree of cure, due to the combination of surgical treatment and radiotherapy.