RecruitingNCT03910465
Oncology
Chordoma
Also known as sacrococcygeal chordoma, clival chordoma, brachyury/T gene tumor
Chordoma is a rare, slow-growing but locally aggressive malignant bone tumour arising from remnants of the embryonic notochord and occurring predominantly at the skull base (clivus), mobile spine, and sacrococcygeal region. The transcriptio
ORPHA:178 ↗Gene TBXT (T gene)Prevalence 1 in 1,000,000 (approximately 300 new cases/year in the USA)Onset Adult (median age 50s; clival tumours present earlier)Sporadic; rare familial cases with TBXT duplication
11
studies recruiting now
as of 7 Sept 2026
75
studies registered in total
as of 7 Sept 2026
11
countries with a recruiting site
as of 7 Sept 2026
3 Oct 2024
most recent study posted
among recruiting studies
Recruiting trials
RecruitingPhase 1 / Phase 2NCT06625190
Alpha/Beta T and B Cell Depletion With Zoledronic Acid for Solid Tumors
RecruitingNCT05033288
Comparing Carbon Ion Therapy, Surgery, and Proton Therapy for Management of Pelvic Sarcomas Involving the Bone
RecruitingNot applicableNCT05861245
Hypofractionated Protontherapy in Chordomas and Chondrosarcomas of the Skull Base
RecruitingNot applicableNCT02986516
Sacral Chordoma: Surgery Versus Definitive Radiation Therapy in Primary Localized Disease
Showing the 5 most recently updated recruiting studies, as recorded 7 Sept 2026. Live status on each study page.
See all 11 recruiting studiesWhere recruiting studies are running
Countries with at least one recruiting site among the studies above, 7 Sept 2026. Tap a country to search trials there.
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Patient organisations
Registry: Chordoma Foundation Patient Registry · Join ↗. Registries connect patients to researchers and often hear about trials first.
About Chordoma
Chordoma is a rare, slow-growing but locally aggressive malignant bone tumour arising from remnants of the embryonic notochord and occurring predominantly at the skull base (clivus), mobile spine, and sacrococcygeal region. The transcription factor brachyury (encoded by TBXT) is a specific and sensitive diagnostic marker overexpressed in virtually all chordomas, and germline duplication of TBXT is associated with familial predisposition. Despite its slow growth, chordoma is characterised by high rates of local recurrence after surgery, resistance to conventional radiotherapy doses, and a paucity of effective systemic therapies.
Common clinical features
Sacrococcygeal pain: dull, progressive lower back or tailbone pain, often present for years before diagnosisCranial nerve palsies from clival tumours: diplopia (CN VI palsy most common), facial numbness, or dysphagiaBowel and bladder dysfunction from sacral nerve root compressionMotor weakness or myelopathy from spinal cord compression by vertebral chordomasNasal obstruction, epistaxis, or headache from large clival tumours extending into the nasopharynxPalpable presacral or posterior pharyngeal mass on examinationDistant metastases to lung, bone, liver, and lymph nodes in advanced disease
From Orphanet’s phenotype annotations (CC BY 4.0). Not a complete list.
Treatments being studied
7 in clinical development, from Open Targets (CC BY 4.0). Not medical advice.
Phase 2Imatinib
Phase 2Afatinib (Gilotrif)
Phase 2Cetuximab (Erbitux)
Phase 2Palbociclib (Ibrance)
Phase 1Nivolumab (Nivolumab bms)
Phase 1Nilotinib
Phase 1Pemetrexed (Alimta)
Before you apply
Things trial teams commonly ask about for Chordoma. Not eligibility rules; those are set by each study.
- Brachyury (TBXT) immunohistochemistry is the diagnostic standard — confirm pathology report documents positive brachyury staining to satisfy most trial eligibility requirements.
- Prior treatment history (surgery and proton beam or carbon ion radiotherapy) significantly affects eligibility; document the number of prior resections, radiation doses, and fields treated.
- Molecular profiling for targetable alterations (CDKN2A/B deletion, PI3K pathway, receptor tyrosine kinase expression) is increasingly required for biomarker-selected trials — request comprehensive tumour genomic profiling if not already performed.
Related conditions
Information, not medical advice. Trial listings are shown as recorded on ClinicalTrials.gov; whether any study is right for you is a decision for you and your clinicians, and eligibility is decided by each research team. Disease information from Orphanet (CC BY 4.0).