Histone deacetylases expression in atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors

Purpose Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors (ATRTs) are rare, highly malignant central nervous system tumors that occur during infancy and early childhood. Their poor outcome and resistance to conventional chemotherapies and radiotherapy, urges the development of new therapies. Recent studies have evaluated the effects of histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) as a new potential treatment for ATRTs. However, most HDACi act unselectively against all, or at least several, histone deacetylase (HDAC) family members. We hypothesized that specific HDAC family members are deregulated in ATRT and therefore a more selective class of HDACi would be beneficial to patients with ATRT.