Rhabdomyosarcoma

[Gregory]

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a fast-growing cancer that can develop in soft tissues (such as muscle) almost anywhere in the body.

Rhabdomyosarcomas can develop anywhere, but the head and neck, genital or urinary tract, and limbs are the most common locations.
Symptoms depend on where rhabdomyosarcomas develop.
Diagnosis involves an imaging test and a biopsy.
Treatment consists of surgery, chemotherapy, and sometimes radiation.

(See also Overview of Childhood Cancer.)
Rhabdomyosarcomas account for 3 to 4% of cancers in children. Two thirds of these cancers are diagnosed in children younger than 7 years of age. The cancer is slightly more common among boys than girls and is more common among whites than blacks, mainly because it is less common among black girls.
This cancer develops from cells that would normally develop into muscle cells. The cause of rhabdomyosarcoma is unknown.
Although rhabdomyosarcoma can occur almost anywhere, it tends to occur most often in the following:

Head and neck (in about 35% of cases): Most common among school-aged children
Genital or urinary tract, usually in the bladder, prostate, or vagina (in about 25% of cases): Typically occurring in infants and toddlers
Limbs (in about 20% of cases): Most common among adolescents
Trunk or other miscellaneous sites (in about 20% of cases)

Rhabdomyosarcoma can spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. But it is usually diagnosed before the cancer has spread. About 15 to 25% of children are diagnosed after the cancer has spread. In these children, the cancer is most commonly located in the lungs. Bones, bone marrow, and the lymph nodes are other locations to which the cancer may spread.

[Mary Mallozziberg]

A rare malignant tumor involving striated muscle tissue.