The descriptive epidemiology of atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors in the United States, 2001-2010

BACKGROUND: Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor is a rare malignant CNS tumor that most often affects children ≤ 3 years old. The Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States contains the largest aggregation of population-based incidence data for primary CNS tumors in the US. Its data were used to describe the incidence, associated trends, and relative survival after diagnosis of atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor. METHODS: Using data from 50 cancer registries between 2001 and 2010, age-adjusted incidence rates per 100 000 and 95% CIs were calculated by sex, race, Hispanic ethnicity, age at diagnosis, and location of tumor in the CNS for children aged 0 to 19 years. Relative survival rates and 95% CIs were also calculated. RESULTS: The average annual age-adjusted incidence rate was 0.07 (95% CI: 0.07, 0.08). Incidence rates did not significantly vary by sex, race, or ethnicity. Age had a strong effect on incidence rate, with highest incidence among children <1 year, and decreasing incidence with increasing age. The 6-month, 1-year, and 5-year relative survival rates for all ages were 65.0%, 46.8%, and 28.3%, respectively. Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor can occur anywhere in the CNS, but supratentorial tumors were more common with increasing age. CONCLUSION: We confirm differences in survival by age at diagnosis, treatment pattern, and location of tumor in the brain. This contributes to our understanding of these tumors and may stimulate research leading to improved treatment of this devastating childhood disease.