Concordant rhabdoid tumor of the kidney in a set of identical twins with discordant outcomes

Abstract

We report identical twin boys who each had stage IV rhabdoid tumor of the left kidney at the age of 5 months and 2 years, respectively. The 5-month-old boy, despite receiving chemotherapy, died of progressive disease at the age of 12 months. Following resection of the tumor, his twin brother was treated with 6 cycles of combination chemotherapy consisting of cisplatinum, doxorubicin, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and actinomycin-D alternating with ifosfamide and etoposide. After complete regression of lung and brain metastases, he received high-dose thiotepa, etoposide, and cyclophosphamide, followed by autologous peripheral stem cell rescue. The patient is presently alive and free of disease 6 years posttransplant. High-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplant may be an effective front-line therapeutic approach for patients with metastatic rhabdoid tumor of the kidney.