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Review
. 2010 Jul-Aug;76(4):533-7.
doi: 10.1590/S1808-86942010000400020.

Rhabdomyosarcoma of the head and neck: 24 cases and literature review

[Article in English, Portuguese]
Giovana Moretti  1 , Ricardo Guimarães, Karisa Martins de Oliveira, Fernanda Sanjar, Richard Louis Voegels
Affiliations
Review

Rhabdomyosarcoma of the head and neck: 24 cases and literature review

[Article in English, Portuguese]
Giovana Moretti et al. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2010 Jul-Aug.

Abstract

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a malignant tumor of soft tissues, more common in childhood, mainly located in the head and neck. It presents varied clinical and biological behavior and requires individualized management.

Aim: To describe information on patients with head and neck RMS diagnosed and treated in a hospital, and to compare them to results in the literature.

Study design: Descriptive and retrospective.

Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis of data from 24 patients with head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma diagnosed and treated in a hospital from 1994 to 2008.

Results: The mean age was 7.79 years. According to gender, 54.17 % were males and 45.83 % were female. All patients underwent chemotherapy (CT), 62.5% of them also underwent radiotherapy (RT) and 16.67% were submitted to surgery. Of the 24 patients, 8 (33.3%) died, 6 (25%) were found free of neoplasia and 2 (8.3%) experienced tumor recurrence.

Conclusion: The RMS of the head and neck often presents with nonspecific symptoms. Individualized multimodal therapy should be performed for these patients, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

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Figures

Chart 1
Chart 1
Distribution of patients according to age.
Chart 2
Chart 2
Distribution according to the histological subtype.
Chart 3
Chart 3
Distribution according to the subsite.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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