What are primitive neuroectodermal tumors?

Also known as: PNET, primitive neuroectodermal tumors.

Primitive neuroectodermal tumors are a group of cancers (malignant) that start in nerve cells formed in the fetus during early development that haven't developed the way they should have (primitive or undifferentiated cells).

They can form in the brain/autonomic nervous system or in sites outside the brain/autonomic nervous system (peripheral PNETs), including the extremities, pelvis and the chest wall.

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Reviewed by: Jack Wolfsdorf, MD, FAAP

This page was last updated on: 1/29/2019 3:21:13 PM