What is the outcome for a fetus with Sacrococcygeal Teratoma?
Most fetuses with sacrococcygeal teratoma do well with surgical treatment after birth. These tumors are generally not malignant. Babies with small tumors that can be removed along with the coccyx bone after birth can be expected to live normal lives, although they should be followed for development of tumors later in life, using a simple blood test for alpha feto-protein. Fetuses with larger tumors or tumors that go up inside the baby’s abdomen will require more complex surgery after birth, but in general do well. Again, they will have to be followed with blood tests for several years. Fetuses with very large tumors, which can reach the size of the fetus itself, pose a difficult problem both before and after birth.
