What is sacrococcygeal teratoma?

Also known as: SCT, sacrococcygeal tumors.

A sacrococcygeal teratoma is a tumor containing a number of different tissues (fat, bone, nerves etc.) that is present at birth in the tailbone (coccyx) of the newborn baby. It is the most common tumor found in newborn babies (though quite rare); usually girls.

These tumors are usually covered by skin or a membrane, grow out either from the back or toward the stomach and can be quite large. They are usually categorized by position and severity:

Type 1- are tumors attached to the coccyx and grow outward and do not usually spread.
Type 11- have parts outside and inside the body. These occasionally spread.
Type 111- most of the tumor is inside the baby’s abdomen. Spread occurs in about 20% of children.
Type 1V - all of the tumor is inside the body. Occasionally spread occurs.

Most SCT are not cancerous (benign) but may cause problems before birth.

Reviewed by: Jack Wolfsdorf, MD, FAAP

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