#Rarecancer

A mother watched as her toddler battled a string of infections that never seemed to fit the usual pattern of childhood illness. What began as sleepless nights and worry for a child’s persistent fever and fatigue culminated in a devastating diagnosis: a rare, aggressive cancer known as malignant rhabdoid tumor, identified at Massachusetts General Hospital. The case, though heartbreaking, is now fueling a broader conversation about how such elusive diseases are recognized, studied, and treated. In the wake of this diagnosis, researchers are sharing fresh lines of inquiry into why these tumors arise, how to target them, and why early detection matters so profoundly for families facing the unimaginable.