Characteristics

• Rare
• Highly aggressive and tends to spread throughout the CNS
• Often appears in multiple sites in the body, especially the kidneys
• Difficult to classify; may be confused with medulloblastoma or PNETs
• Occurs most often in young children but can also occur in adults

 
Symptoms

• Vary depending on location of tumor in the brain or body
• An orbital tumor may cause the eye to protrude
• Balance problems may occur
• External tumors cause noticeable lumps; internal tumor symptoms vary based on location

 
Treatment

 
Whenever possible, surgery is performed to remove as much of the tumor as possible. This is usually followed by chemotherapy and radiation therapy. In children under three years of age, surgery may be followed by chemotherapy alone. Clinical trials are being studied using autologous bone marrow transplantation after high-dose chemotherapy for recurrent or multiple rhabdoid tumors.