Cutaneous Metastasis from Cervical Spinal Chordoma: Case Report and Literature Review

Chordomas are rare primary tumors of the bone that arise from embryonic notochord. They are locally aggressive tumors with high tendency for post-surgical recurrence. On the contrary, distant metastases are rare. When occurring, they involve lungs, liver, lymph nodes, and bones. Skin and subcutaneous tissue involvement is even rarer and usually occurs by direct extension of the primary tumor or by local recurrence. Then, distant cutaneous metastasis from chordoma is an exceptional finding, with less than 20 cases reported in the literature. All the cutaneous metastases described derive from sacral chordomas, except for two cases in which the source of metastasis are skull-base chordomas.