atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor
Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT) is a rare and deadly tumor diagnosed in childhood. AT/RT most commonly presents as a brain tumor, but can occur elsewhere in the central nervous system including the spinal cord. Only about 30 new case of AT/RT are diagnosed in the US each year.
AT/RT is highly malignant and thus has a high mortality rate. The age of the child at diagnosis has a significant correlation to survival rates. Children over three have seen survival rates in the 70-80% range. Unfortunately, for children under three, that rate falls to 10%. Because most children diagnosed with AT/RT are under three, the overall survival rate has historically been very low.
There currently is no known cure for AT/RT. However, there has been dramatic improvements in treatments recently and there is increased optimism that these new treatments will soon lead to significantly higher survival rates.
