Chordoma is very rare, with maybe 300 cases per year in the US, and maybe 90 people a year diagnosed with metastatic chordoma.

Nov 11, 2026

Previously: Chordoma is very rare, with maybe 300 cases per year in the US, and maybe 90 people a year diagnosed with metastatic chordoma. [Accurate]: Sinise gave the 300 figure for chordoma overall, not for metastatic chordoma, so the claim is reworded to match what he said. The National Cancer Institute says chordoma is diagnosed in about 300 people in the US each year. A published case series found that about 18 percent of chordoma patients develop metastases, so his hedged 'maybe 90' is a rough but reasonable guess. US registry data showing a very different yearly count of chordoma or of metastatic cases would prove this wrong.

Now: Chordoma is very rare, with maybe 300 cases per year in the US, and maybe 90 people a year diagnosed with metastatic chordoma. [Unverified]: The National Cancer Institute supports about 300 new US chordoma diagnoses annually. The Chordoma Foundation says 30 to 40 percent of patients eventually develop metastases. Neither an eventual-metastasis percentage nor a case-series percentage establishes 90 new metastatic diagnoses in a particular calendar year. Sinise says "maybe", and the 300 figure is supported, but the specific annual metastatic estimate remains unresolved. Our earlier true verdict inferred an incidence count the source did not supply.

Separate supported annual overall incidence from unverified annual metastatic incidence; preserve maybe.