{"id":1641,"date":"2025-09-06T15:33:22","date_gmt":"2025-09-06T15:33:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/toddler-malignant-rhabdoid-tumor\/"},"modified":"2025-09-06T15:33:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-06T15:33:22","slug":"toddler-malignant-rhabdoid-tumor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/toddler-malignant-rhabdoid-tumor\/","title":{"rendered":"Toddler Survives Aggressive Malignant Rhabdoid Tumor After Intense Treatment"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<p>When 11\u2011month\u2011old Jonny Terrell developed repeated infections and a rapidly swollen abdomen in August 2024, his mother, Emily Robichau, took him to Massachusetts General Hospital where scans and a biopsy revealed a malignant rhabdoid tumor in his liver; after a tailored course of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation, Jonny is now in remission and under close surveillance.<\/p>\n<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Malignant rhabdoid tumor is a rare, aggressive cancer most often seen in infants and toddlers.<\/li>\n<li>Boston Children&#8217;s Hospital estimates about 20\u201325 new pediatric cases a year in the U.S.<\/li>\n<li>Pediatric oncologists say overall cure rates are low\u2014roughly one in ten\u2014making localized, early detection critical.<\/li>\n<li>Jonny&#8217;s tumor was about the size of a grapefruit and had not metastasized when diagnosed in August 2024.<\/li>\n<li>His care combined six chemotherapy agents, surgical resection and follow\u2011up radiation.<\/li>\n<li>The family lived near the hospital during intensive treatment and faced significant emotional and financial strain.<\/li>\n<li>Jonny is currently in remission, will receive monthly IV antibiotics for a period, and will undergo frequent scans during the highest relapse risk window.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Verified Facts<\/h2>\n<p>Jonny, who was previously healthy, began having persistent ear infections, vomiting, rashes and diarrhea in the weeks before his first birthday. The day after he turned 1, his abdomen expanded rapidly; at a one\u2011year pediatric visit clinicians ordered CT and MRI imaging that revealed a large liver mass. A biopsy confirmed malignant rhabdoid tumor, an uncommon and highly aggressive pediatric cancer.<\/p>\n<p>Pediatric specialists at Massachusetts General Hospital assembled an individualized treatment plan. Dr. Lauren Boal and pediatric surgeon Dr. Danielle Cameron led a regimen that started with multi\u2011agent chemotherapy\u2014six drugs were used\u2014to reduce the tumor size. Jonny needed a feeding tube at times and experienced expected chemotherapy side effects, but the tumor shrank to roughly half its initial volume.<\/p>\n<p>After the tumor responded to chemotherapy, surgeons removed the mass and the child subsequently received radiation therapy. Because the cancer had not spread beyond the liver at diagnosis, clinicians describe Jonny&#8217;s case as a more favorable presentation of an otherwise poor\u2011prognosis disease. He is now just over 2 years old and in remission, but remains under close follow\u2011up.<\/p>\n<h2>Context &#038; Impact<\/h2>\n<p>Malignant rhabdoid tumors can arise in soft tissues throughout the body but are most commonly found in the brain and kidney. Experts, including Dr. Michael Ortiz of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, emphasize the tumor&#8217;s high risk of metastasis and generally low cure rates: historically only about 10% of affected children achieve long\u2011term cure.<\/p>\n<p>The period immediately after completing therapy is critical. Oncologists note the highest risk of relapse is typically within the first one to two years post\u2011chemotherapy, which is why Jonny will undergo frequent imaging and clinic visits. Survivors may also face long\u2011term effects, including an elevated risk of subsequent malignancies and other late complications from intensive treatment.<\/p>\n<p>The diagnosis and treatment imposed heavy psychosocial and financial burdens on the family. Robichau and her partner lived near the hospital during care, separated from their other children at times, and described the experience as isolating and overwhelming.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Clinical follow\u2011up priorities: regular scans, infection prevention, and monitoring for long\u2011term treatment effects.<\/li>\n<li>Support needs: housing near treatment centers, mental health services, and financial assistance for families during prolonged care.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;We are watching him very closely, but very hopeful that he will not have a recurrence,&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><cite>Dr. Lauren Boal, Massachusetts General Hospital<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<aside>\n<details>\n<summary>Explainer: What is a malignant rhabdoid tumor?<\/summary>\n<p>Malignant rhabdoid tumor is a rare pediatric cancer often diagnosed in infants and toddlers. It can occur in multiple organs, tends to grow and spread rapidly, and typically requires aggressive multimodal therapy\u2014chemotherapy, surgery and often radiation. Due to its rarity, treatment plans are frequently individualized at specialized pediatric centers.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/aside>\n<h2>Unconfirmed<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>No public report in the family&#8217;s account specifies whether genetic testing (for example, SMARCB1 or related mutations) was performed or what the results were.<\/li>\n<li>Longer\u2011term outcomes for Jonny beyond current remission have not been reported and remain uncertain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Bottom Line<\/h2>\n<p>Jonny&#8217;s case illustrates both the severity of malignant rhabdoid tumor and the difference early, localized diagnosis can make: aggressive, tailored treatment placed him in remission. Families facing similar diagnoses typically need sustained medical surveillance and support for potential long\u2011term effects.<\/p>\n<p>Clinicians urge caregivers to seek prompt attention for unusual or persistent symptoms in infants and toddlers; specialized centers and multidisciplinary teams play a key role in managing these rare tumors.<\/p>\n<h2>Sources<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.massgeneral.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Massachusetts General Hospital<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mskcc.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.childrenshospital.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Boston Children&#8217;s Hospital<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CBS News coverage<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When 11\u2011month\u2011old Jonny Terrell developed repeated infections and a rapidly swollen abdomen in August 2024, his mother, Emily Robichau, took him to Massachusetts General Hospital where scans and a biopsy revealed a malignant rhabdoid tumor in his liver; after a tailored course of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation, Jonny is now in remission and under close &#8230; <a title=\"Toddler Survives Aggressive Malignant Rhabdoid Tumor After Intense Treatment\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/toddler-malignant-rhabdoid-tumor\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Toddler Survives Aggressive Malignant Rhabdoid Tumor After Intense Treatment\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1638,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_title":"Toddler Survives Rare Rhabdoid Tumor \u2013 CBS News","rank_math_description":"After recurring infections and an August 2024 diagnosis, 11\u2011month\u2011old Jonny received chemotherapy, surgery and radiation for a malignant rhabdoid tumor and is now in remission under close follow\u2011up.","rank_math_focus_keyword":"malignant rhabdoid tumor,toddler,Mass General,chemotherapy,remission","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1641"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1641\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}