Rhabdomyosarcoma

This is an infrequent type of malignancy that occur in soft tissues especially in skeletal muscle tissue or hollow organs like bladder or uterus. It can occur at any age but mostly children are affected.

Symptoms

Usually the symptoms depend upon the location where cancer is located. If it is located in head and neck region signs and symptoms will be :

Headache
Proptosis
Bleeding from nose, throat or ears

If cancer is located in urogenital system, signs and symptoms will include:

Irritation in urination
Bowel movements become difficult
Bleeding or mass in vagina or rectum

If cancer is located in arms or legs, symptoms include:

Lump or swelling in limbs or arms
Affected area become painful

Causes

Although exact cause of rhabdomyosarcoma is not known but certain mutations are thought to play role in the development of cancer. Mutations arises in the DNA which leads to uncontrolled and abnormal cell division. This results in the formation of tumor that can invade nearby structures and can also metastasize throughout the body.

Complications

Complications of rhabdomyosarcoma include:

Spread of cancer to other areas of body like lungs, lymph nodes and bones

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of this patient depends upon detailed medical history and complete general physical examination. Along with this other tests are also required for diagnosis like:

CT scan, MRI, bone scan, X-ray, Positron emission tomography (PET)
Biopsy can also be done to test rhabdomyosarcoma. Types of biopsy that can be utilized are needle biopsy and surgical biopsy.

Treatment

Treatment options include:

Surgery but it’s not always feasible because of the location of rhabdomyosarcoma near important structures
Chemotherapy
Radiation therapy
Clinical trials

Rhabdomyosarcoma