National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc.

Sacrococcygeal Teratoma

Important
It is possible that the main title of the report Sacrococcygeal Teratoma is not the name you expected.

Disorder Subdivisions

  • None

General Discussion

Sacrococcygeal teratomas are rare tumors that develop at the base of the spine by the tailbone (coccyx) known as the sacrococcygeal region. Although most of these tumors are non-cancerous (benign), they may grow quite large and once diagnosed, always require surgical removal. It is likely that all sacrococcygeal teratomas are present at birth (congenital) and most are discovered before birth by a routine prenatal ultrasound examination or an exam indicated for a uterus too large for dates. In rare cases, sacrococcygeal teratomas may be cancerous (malignant) at birth and many will become malignant if surgical resection is not performed. In extremely rare cases, sacrococcygeal tumors may be seen in adults. Most of these represent slow growing tumors that originated prenatally. In the majority of these cases, the tumor is benign, but may cause lower back pain and genitourinary and gastrointestinal symptoms. The cause of sacrococcygeal teratomas is unknown.

Resources

March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation
1275 Mamaroneck Avenue
White Plains, NY 10605
Tel: (914)428-7100
Fax: (914)997-4763
Tel: (888)663-4637
Email: Askus@marchofdimes.com
Internet: http://www.marchofdimes.com

Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation
P.O. Box 498
Kensington, MD 20895-0498
Tel: (301)962-3520
Fax: (301)962-3521
Tel: (800)366-2223
Email: staff@candlelighters,org
Internet: http://www.candlelighters.org

American Cancer Society, Inc.
1599 Clifton Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
USA
Tel: (404)320-3333
Tel: (800)227-2345
Internet: http://www.cancer.org

National Cancer Institute
6116 Executive Blvd, MSC 8322, Room 3036A
Bethesda, MD 20892-8322
USA
Tel: (301)435-3848
Tel: (800)422-6237
TDD: (800)332-8615
Internet: http://www.cancer.gov

Rare Cancer Alliance
1649 North Pacana Way
Green Valley, AZ 85614
USA
Tel: (520)625-5495
Fax: (615)526-4921
Email: sharon.lane@rare-cancer.org
Internet: http://www.rare-cancer.org

For a Complete Report

This is an abstract of a report from the National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc. ® (NORD). A copy of the complete report can be obtained for a small fee by visiting the NORD website. The complete report contains additional information including symptoms, causes, affected population, related disorders, standard and investigational treatments (if available), and references from medical literature. For a full-text version of this topic, see http://www.rarediseases.org/search/rdblist.html

The information provided in this report is not intended for diagnostic purposes. It is provided for informational purposes only. NORD recommends that affected individuals seek the advice or counsel of their own personal physicians.

It is possible that the title of this topic is not the name you selected. Please check the Synonyms listing to find the alternate name(s) and Disorder Subdivision(s) covered by this report

This disease entry is based upon medical information available through the date at the end of the topic. Since NORD's resources are limited, it is not possible to keep every entry in the Rare Disease Database completely current and accurate. Please check with the agencies listed in the Resources section for the most current information about this disorder.

For additional information and assistance about rare disorders, please contact the National Organization for Rare Disorders at P.O. Box 1968, Danbury, CT 06813-1968; phone (203) 744-0100; web site www.rarediseases.org or email orphan@rarediseases.org

Last Updated:  10/22/2007
Copyright  2007 National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc.


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Topic Contents
 Disorder Subdivisions
 General Discussion
 Resources
 For a Complete Report