title: Dedifferentiated chordoma with a sarcomatous component: an overlooked diagnosis.
abstract: A 60 year old male presented with unremitting complaints of acute urinary retention and constipation. Computerized Tomography of the abdomen and pelvis confirmed a sacral mass. The biopsy diagnosed dedifferentiated sacral chordoma; an extremely rare entity, seldom reported and frequently misdiagnosed. We present a unique case report after an extensive review of retrospective literature on dedifferentiated chordomas.
authors.affiliation: Army Medical College, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. quratulain.fatima@gmail.com
authors.forename: Quratulain
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Masood
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bilal
authors.forename: Ayesha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tariq
authors.forename: Somal
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Asad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Qureshi
mesh_terms: D002817:Chordoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D051677:Histiocytoma, Malignant Fibrous / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012445:Sacrococcygeal Region / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D012447:Sacrum / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery