A malignant rhabdoid tumor of the kidney occurring concurrently with a brain tumor: Report of a case

Malignant rhabdoid tumor of the kidney (MRTK) is one of the most lethal neo plasms to occur in young infants. Cases of MRTK accompanying an embryonal t urner in the central nervous system have occasionally been described. We pr esent herein an interesting case of MRTK that was clinically diagnosed preo peratively, A male infant aged 6 months with both a midline brain tumor and a renal neoplasm was transferred to our institution. Although roentgenogra phic evaluation suggested that the renal lesion was a Wilms' tumor, midkine (MK), a growth and differentiation factor characteristically present in th e urine of patients with Wilms tumor. was not detected. A preoperative diag nosis of MRTK was established based on the lack of urinary MK in addition t o the typical clinical features of the young age and the concurrent brain t umor.