The impact of age on outcome of embryonal and alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma patients. A multicenter study

Abstract

Background: The prognosis of rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) in children and adolescents has improved since the introduction of multi-agent chemotherapy. However, outcome data of adults with RMS are scarce. This multicenter retrospective study investigated the effect of age on outcome of RMS.

Patients and methods: Data were collected from three Dutch University Medical Centers between 1977-2009. The effect of age and clinical prognostic factors on relapse-free and disease-specific survival (DSS) were analyzed.

Results: Age as a continuous variable predicted poor survival in multivariate analysis. Five-year DSS was highest for non-metastatic embryonal RMS, followed by non-metastatic alveolar RMS and was poor in metastatic disease. Higher age correlated with unfavorable histological subtype (alveolar RMS) and with metastatic disease at presentation in embryonal RMS. In non-metastatic embryonal RMS and in all alveolar RMS, higher age was an adverse prognostic factor of outcome.

Conclusion: This study indicates that age is a negative predictor of survival in patients with embryonal and alveolar RMS.