Childhood Midline Tract Carcinoma with NUT Gene Changes Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version

Go to Health Professional Version

MIDLINE TRACT CARCINOMA

SECTIONS

General Information About Childhood Midline Tract Carcinoma

KEY POINTS

Childhood midline tract carcinoma is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the respiratory tract or other places along the middle of the body.
Midline tract carcinoma is sometimes caused by a change in the NUT gene.
The signs and symptoms of midline tract carcinoma are not the same in every child.
Tests that examine the body are used to help detect (find) and diagnose midline tract carcinoma.
Midline tract carcinoma grows and spreads quickly.

Childhood midline tract carcinoma is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the respiratory tract or other places along the middle of the body.

The respiratory tract is made up of the nose, throat, larynx, trachea, bronchi, and lungs. Midline tract carcinoma may also form in other places along the middle of the body, such as the thymus, the area between the lungs, the pancreas, liver, and bladder.

Midline tract carcinoma is sometimes caused by a change in the NUT gene.

Midline tract carcinoma is caused by a change in a chromosome. Every cell in the body contains DNA (genetic material stored inside chromosomes) that controls how the cell looks and acts. Midline tract cancer may form when part of the DNA from chromosome 15 (called the NUT gene) joins with the DNA from another chromosome or when there are other changes to the NUT gene.

The signs and symptoms of midline tract carcinoma are not the same in every child.

The signs and symptoms of midline tract carcinoma depend on where the cancer formed in the body.

Tests that examine the body are used to help detect (find) and diagnose midline tract carcinoma.

The tests used to detect and diagnose midline tract carcinoma depend on where the cancer formed in the body and may include the following:

Physical exam and history : An exam of the body to check general signs of health, including checking for signs of disease, such as lumps or anything else that seems unusual. A history of the patient’s health habits and past illnesses and treatments will also be taken.
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging): A procedure that uses a magnet, radio waves, and a computer to make a series of detailed pictures of areas of the body, such as the head and neck. This procedure is also called nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI).
CT scan (CAT scan): A procedure that makes a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body taken from different angles. The pictures are made by a computer linked to an x-ray machine. A dye may be injected into a vein or swallowed to help the organs or tissues show up more clearly. This procedure is also called computed tomography, computerized tomography, or computerized axial tomography.
ENLARGE
Computed tomography (CT) scan of the head and neck. The child lies on a table that slides through the CT scanner, which takes x-ray pictures of the inside of the head and neck.
Biopsy : The removal of cells so they can be viewed under a microscope by a pathologist to check for signs of cancer.
The following test may be done on the sample of cells that was removed:
- Cytogenetic analysis: A laboratory test in which cells in a sample of tissue are viewed under a microscope to look for certain changes in the chromosomes. Other tests, such as fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), may also be done to look for certain changes in the chromosomes.