After a brief survey of the literature on chordomata, its origin and localization, incidence, symptoms, radiological and laboratorial aspects, pathological anatomy, the problem of metastasis, treatments and prognosis are discussed. Three cases (two being intracranial and one cervical) among 800 neoplasms of the nervous system operated at the Neurological Department of University of São Paulo Medical School are reported. Some interesting aspects are discussed: the very early onset in the case 1, the sudden start of symptomatology in case 3, the error of histological diagnosis of the biopsy material in case 3 and the atypical (sarcomatous) histological aspects in case 1.