The clinical management of pediatric liver tumors involves stratification into risk groups. One previously defined, high-risk group of hepatoblastomas is the small cell undifferentiated variant. In light of molecular studies showing SMARCB1 deletion in these tumors, it is now recognized that most small cell, undifferentiated liver tumors represent an aggressive unrelated tumor-the malignant rhabdoid tumor (MRT). SMARCB1 is a member of the chromatin remodeling SWI/SNF complex and encodes the INI1 protein. The histologic diagnosis of MRT is currently based on INI1 negative immunoreactivity and the presence of rhabdoid morphology. INI1-negative small cell liver tumors lacking classic rhabdoid morphology are often misclassified as small cell undifferentiated hepatoblastomas (SCUD-HB), according to the current classification. Pediatric liver tumors diagnosed between 2003-2017 as SCUD-HB (four cases) or MRT (two cases) were identified from the Columbia University Pathology Department Archives. All tumors were associated with normal or low serum alpha fetoprotein levels, and showed an absence of immunohistochemical staining of hepatocellular markers (Hep-par1, Arginase) and loss of INI1 staining. Two cases were initially diagnosed as MRT, one with prominent rhabdoid morphology, the other with predominant small cell morphology. The remaining four cases with small cell morphology were classified as SCUD-HB. Ancillary molecular studies confirmed the loss of SMARCB1, supporting the diagnosis of MRT in all cases, proving morphology an unreliable criterion. It is critical to eliminate the term INI1-negative hepatoblastoma from the current classification scheme, and classify INI1-negative tumors as MRT, particularly since high-risk HB-chemotherapy regimens are not effective for treating MRT.Cancers 2019, 11, 1992 2 of 13 and radiation, and with high mortality [7][8][9]. MRT of the liver are uncommon, comprising less than 5% of malignant liver tumors in infants [7,10,11].Historically MRT was morphologically identified as a unique tumor type based on its characteristic "rhabdoid" cytologic features with abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm and eccentric nuclei [6]. In the era of molecular genomics, regardless of their anatomical site, the majority of MRT show loss of the protein product of the SMARCB1 gene, also known as BAF47/INI1/hSNF5 [12,13]. The SMARCB1 gene located on chromosome 22q11.2 is a core subunit of the ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling SWItch/Sucrose Non-Fermentable (SWI/SNF) complex [14][15][16][17]. The SWI/SNF complex controls gene transcription [18] and has a tumor suppressing function [19]. Studies have shown that biallelic inactivation of SMARCB1 seem to be both necessary and sufficient to cause cancer [11,16,20]. All rhabdoid tumors with homozygous mutations and/or deletions of SMARCB1 show loss of nuclear expression of INI1/BAF47 protein, that can be detected by immunohistochemistry [21,22].In the current classification of pediatric liver tumors, INI1-negative immunostaining in the absence of rhabdoid morpholo...