Rhabdomyosarcoma
What is Rhabdomyosarcoma?
Rhabdomyosarcoma is a cancer of striated (skeletal) muscle tissue. Rhabdomyosarcoma can develop anywhere in the body where muscle tissue is present. The tumor can occur at any age but is most common in children between the ages of 1 and 5 years. Research is being done to try and find out the cause of this cancer.
What are the symptoms of Rhabdomyosarcoma?
Skeletal muscle tissue is located all over the body. Symptoms depend on where the tumor develops. The common sites are:
a) The head and the neck
In this area the tumor may arise inside the nose or sinuses. This may cause a blocked nose or discharge from the nose or it may appear as a mass protruding from the eardrum.
b) Eye socket or orbit
In this site, the tumor will cause the eye to protrude or to appear larger and/ or the eye muscles may not work normally.
c) Muscles of the arms or legs
The tumor will show up as a lump or mass in these areas.
d) Trunk of the body
If the tumor occurs on the surface muscle of the chest or abdomen it will present as a visible mass. If it begins in the muscles inside the body it will present as a mass which can only be felt. It may be discovered accidentally by you while bathing the child or by the doctor during a routine examination. Sometimes the mass may be found when the tumor presses on some other structure and causes a problem. For example, tumor may compress the rectum leading to constipation.
e) Genitourinary system
The tumor can arise in the bladder muscle causing problems with passing urine. It can also begin in the vagina and present as a mass like a bunch of grapes at the entrance to the vagina. Bleeding from the vagina or a discharge may also be present. It can also arise in the testes or prostate in males.
How is Rhabdomyosarcoma diagnosed?
The only way the physician can determine your child definitely has rhabdomyosarcoma is to examine a piece of the tumor after surgery. The type of operation your child will have depends on the site of the tumor. If the tumor is in an inaccessible site, such as the eye or ear, the surgeon will just take a very small piece for diagnosis to avoid damaging the surrounding structures. Your child may have X-rays and scans before surgery to help the surgeon see the extent of the tumor. The piece of tissue obtained at surgery is examined carefully under the microscope. Sometimes it is difficult to diagnose exactly which type of cancer is present, because Rhabdomyosarcoma can spread in 3 ways:
- by direct extension
The tumor stays in its original site and location and grows until it comes into contact with another organ or tissue which it invades. - via the lymphatic system to the lymph nodes
- by invading the bloodstream and spreading to any area of the body
Rhabdomyosarcoma tends to spread or metastasize to the lungs, liver, bone, brain, and bone marrow. Tumors involving the ear, nose, or sinus have a tendency to spread into the central nervous system.
Staging is determined by how far the tumor has spread in your child's body. The doctor determines the staging of your child's tumor by looking carefully to see if other organs or lymph nodes are involved, X-raying and scanning the areas of the body to which rhabdomyosarcoma tends to spread, such as the liver, lungs, and bones, bone marrow examinations, and performing a spinal tap if the tumor is in the ear, sinuses, or nose. X-rays of the brain will also be taken, because tumor in these sites has a tendency to spread to the brain. Based on the information obtained from the above procedures, your child's disease will be placed in one of the following stages:
- Stage I: The tumor has been completely removed at surgery. No lymph node involvement.
- Stage II: Minimal tumor remains after surgery, or lymph nodes are involved.
- Stage III: All of the tumor cannot be removed and gross tumor remains after surgery.
- Stage IV: The tumor has spread to other areas of the body.
What is the prognosis for a child with Rhabdomyosarcoma?
Prognosis depends on the stage of the disease. Children with Stage I, II or III disease have a very good chance of long-term survival. Children with Stage IV disease have a chance of long-term survival, but not as favorable as children with Stage I, II, or III. Oncologists are cautious about using the word "cure." It has been shown that if a child with rhabdomyosarcoma is living two years after diagnosis with no evidence of tumor, the chance of the cancer coming back is small. However, these children will have to be watched carefully for many years to see if they are really cured. The most important factor for prognosis is the stage of the tumor. Children over one year and under seven years of age do better than children under one year or older than seven years. Likewise, the site of the tumor is important. Children with tumors in the eye socket do best.
How is Rhabdomyosarcoma treated?
The treatment your child will receive depends on the stage of the disease. It involves surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Sometimes one form of treatment is used alone; sometimes all three together.
The child's treatment may be given as an inpatient and/or outpatient depending on the stage of the disease and the phase of therapy. The stage of the tumor determines the type and intensity of the treatment. Blood counts will be done at times to check the child's white blood cell, red blood cell, and platelet counts. The child will be tested for any sign of returning tumor and every few months X-rays will be taken of the lungs, liver, and bones. Your child will go to the Barrett Center (near Cincinnati Children's) for radiation therapy.
Contact Us
For additional information on this topic, please contact us, cancer@cchmc.org.
Written 9/05
