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Pint-size superhero battles rare pediatric cancer

Written By: Vicki Powers, UT Physicians | Updated: January 28, 2025
Ignacio Rubio, a rare pediatric cancer survivor, playing with the fall leaves in his back yard.

Ignacio Rubio is high energy these days after his surgery team removed his prostate and bladder to help treat his rare cancer. (Photo provided by family)

Ignacio wearing his monster truck costume at home
Iggy loves cars and trucks. (Photo provided by family)

A bright orange monster truck costume hung in the closet, ready for 2-year-old Ignacio (Iggy) Rubio’s Halloween adventures. But instead of trick-or-treating through his neighborhood that evening, a routine ultrasound appointment transformed into urgent hospital orders. It was the start of a medical journey that showcased a little boy’s extraordinary courage and a UT Physicians multidisciplinary team that saved his life from a rare pediatric cancer.

In September 2023, Iggy’s symptoms started as common and a nonconcern. His parents, Manny and Monique, thought his condition was related to constipation, with some pain and cramping. They made trips to the pediatrician’s office almost once a week for guidance. Nothing was helping the pain. Later, they realized his urination had slowed significantly, too.

An ultrasound on Halloween revealed urine backed up in his kidneys and a mass in his bladder. The family was told to go to the hospital immediately. More testing revealed his diagnosis. Iggy was battling childhood rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare pediatric cancer that had developed in his prostate and grew to invade the base of his bladder. The tumor was massive, like a softball occupying his entire pelvis.

Chasing rare pediatric cancer

Mary Austin, MD
Mary T. Austin, MD

Months later, Iggy’s family sought additional options after chemotherapy treatments weren’t successful in shrinking his tumor. The family lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but their second opinion brought them to Houston and UT Physicians.

A local pediatric oncology team worked with Iggy’s family to determine the best treatment strategy for his cancer: radiation therapy or surgery. The concern with radiating his pelvis was the potential for a nonfunctional bladder in the future. Surgery would be aggressive, but it would allow the tumor to be removed and Iggy to be disease-free.

“Given his age, I knew that I needed to partner with a pediatric urologist who has done this operation with me in the past,” said Mary T. Austin, MD, pediatric surgeon at UT Physicians Pediatric Surgery – Texas Medical Center.

Partnering for success

Jason K. Au, MD
Jason K. Au, MD

Austin codeveloped a bold surgical plan with Jason K. Au, MD, a pediatric urologist at UT Physicians Pediatric Surgery – Texas Medical Center. Rather than subjecting Iggy to radiation therapy, which could affect his bone growth and development, the team opted to remove both the bladder, prostate, and nearby lymph nodes. This procedure is common in adult cancer patients but rarely performed on young children.

When Au first met Iggy, the 2-year-old had already been through more medical procedures than most people face in a lifetime. This included multiple rounds of chemotherapy, countless imaging scans, and most challenging of all, two nephrostomy tubes that protruded from his back to help his kidneys function and drain urine into a bag outside his body. Monique said Iggy looked like a small squid with tentacles hanging off his back. Managing the tubes, which are made for adults, was a constant source of anxiety for his parents.

Despite it all, the young patient’s spirit was bright when they met.

“He was just full of joy and optimism,” said Au, an assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Urology at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. “Despite looking frail and not having hair, his spirits were so high.”

Making a tough decision

When Iggy’s parents learned he needed his bladder and prostate removed to save his life, they faced an overwhelming decision. The surgery would impact him forever, but it offered the best chance at survival. Right away, Monique said her first concern was if Iggy would be able to have children.

“It’s so heartbreaking – who was I to make that decision for him?” Monique said. “As parents, it’s our responsibility to do everything we can to keep him safe, to give him the best chance at living a full, normal life. Never in a million years would we ever think our family would be affected by cancer, let alone pediatric cancer.”  

While it was a difficult decision to make on Iggy’s behalf, his parents said knowing it was the best way forward for him made it a little easier.

“And then meeting Dr. Au and Dr. Austin, I felt comforted knowing their history and background. I realized they are the best people to take care of our son,” Monique said. “How lucky we are to have these people work with our family to help us.”

Moving forward with rare surgery

Ignacio at the hospital in recovery from his rare pediatric cancer petting a black dog.
Iggy enjoyed cuddles from a support dog during his hospital stay. (Photo provided by family)

The procedure would be complex, especially given Iggy’s age, the small internal space for the procedure, and his narrow pelvis. Austin said her expertise is in pediatric solid tumors, but the prostate is Au’s expertise in urology. The six- to eight-hour surgery, a radical cystoprostatectomy, was particularly rare.

“It’s something that you would do once every few years, maybe, and some surgeons have never done this operation with a child,” said Austin, an associate professor of pediatric surgery at McGovern Medical School.

The surgery in March 2024 was successful. This allowed doctors to remove Iggy’s kidney tubes and create a temporary solution for urination using a urostomy. His parents say he’s adapted remarkably well and will never remember a time not having it.

Iggy stayed in the hospital nine days. Although he had difficulty walking initially, due to pain, once he started, he didn’t stop!

Monique said Iggy’s energy levels are out of this world, and he runs laps around his older brother. Recent scans show no disease in his body, though he’s completing a final round of maintenance chemotherapy through spring 2025. The family credits their medical team for Iggy’s success.

“We’ve been dealt the right cards with the right people, the right team.
They saved our son’s life.”

Monique Rubio, Iggy’s mom

“We’ve been dealt the right cards with the right people, the right team,” Monique said, becoming emotional. “They saved our son’s life. What can you say to people when they do something like that for you?”

Iggy’s case represents more than a successful surgery for the medical team. Through their partnership, they were able to offer hope to a young patient who needed it most.

“I think he’s going to have a great prognosis,” Au said. The surgeon credits much of the success to the strong partnership between specialists and their experience handling complex cases together.

Looking to the future

While Iggy will need ongoing monitoring to ensure the pediatric cancer doesn’t return, his medical team is optimistic about his future. Around age 7 or 8, doctors can perform another surgery to create an internal solution for urination.

Through it all, Iggy’s resilience left a lasting impression on his medical team.

“It’s incredible to see these kids who are going through something like this, and they are still laughing and smiling,” Austin said. “Their biggest concern is when they can eat and get to the playroom. They’re just incredibly resilient.”

Au shared similar observations about Iggy’s family.

“It was honestly very uplifting and reassuring to see they were coming into this huge operation for such a young kid with a rare disease with so much support and optimism,” Au said. “They made the best of a terrible situation.”

The Rubio family enjoying a football game in a stadium.
Iggy and his family enjoyed family time at a New Mexico United soccer game. (Photo provided by family)

For future fun, the family is already planning their next trip to Houston. This one won’t be for medical treatment but to visit the Houston Zoo and attend a Houston Texans football game. They want to be in the stadium instead of looking at it from a hospital window.

“Iggy has been a fighter and very resilient, and I know he’s going to help people,” Monique said. “As he gets older, he’s going to be an advocate.”

Iggy’s family hopes his story helps other families facing similar challenges.

“If this could help us understand how and why it happened or how to attack it as soon as possible and save more lives, that would be the silver lining of this experience,” Manny said.

As the clinical practice of McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, UT Physicians has locations across the Greater Houston area to serve the community. To schedule an appointment, call .