Use of radio-frequency ablation for the palliative treatment of sacral chordoma.

Chordomas are the most common sacrococcygeal tumors in adults. They have a high recurrence rate, are locally aggressive, and are resistant to radiation therapy. Radio frequency is a relatively new therapeutic technique, used primarily in the treatment of liver tumors; however, its application has widened to include other neoplasms. We report its use in the palliative treatment of chordomas in two patients for debulking and control of pain, with good results and low morbidity.