Rhabdomyosarcoma Treatment in Delhi, India

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare type of sarcoma cancer of connective tissue (cartilage or tendon), soft tissue (muscles), or bone. Rhabdomyosarcoma mainly affects children or adolescents, but it can occur at any age.

Types of Rhabdomyosarcoma

There are five types of rhabdomyosarcoma:

Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma

Occurs mostly in the head, neck, or urinary and reproductive organs.

Botryoid rhabdomyosarcoma

Occurs in hollow organs (bladder, vagina).

Spindle rhabdomyosarcoma

Usually occurs around the testicles in boys.

Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma

An aggressive type that occurs in the arms, torso, or legs.

Pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma

The rarest kind of rhabdomyosarcoma, occurring in the arms, legs, or torso.

Rhabdomyosarcoma is more likely to start in the following areas:

• Head and neck
• Arms and legs
• Urinary system (such as the bladder)
• Reproductive system (such as the uterus, vagina, and testes).

Causes of Rhabdomyosarcoma

The cause of rhabdomyosarcoma remains unknown. Scientists are studying how changes in DNA result in cancerous cells.

Rhabdomyosarcoma Symptoms

Get your child checked for the following symptoms:

• Painful swelling or a lump that keeps growing
• Bulging or crossed eyes
• Headache
• Bowel movement trouble or difficulty urinating
• Blood in the urine
• Bleeding in the rectum, vagina, nose, or throat.

Rhabdomyosarcoma Diagnosis

Based on initial physical exams, imaging tests can be recommended to investigate symptoms and the signs of rhabdomyosarcoma spread. These include X-ray, bone scan, magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, and computerized tomography. Furthermore, a needle must be conducted to identify the cancerous cells and their growth.

Stages of Rhabdomyosarcoma

Characterized by three important factors the main tumor’s location and size, if the lymph nodes are affected, and if cancer has spread to other parts of the body, here are the four stages of rhabdomyosarcoma:

• Stage 1: A local tumor near the eye, neck, head, bladder, or prostate, except for parameningeal sites.
• Stage 2: Defined by a small tumor in any other body part that is not mentioned in Stage 1. The tumor doesn’t spread to the lymph nodes and remains smaller than 5 cm.
• Stage 3: The tumor develops in any body part that isn’t included in Stage 1. It then spreads to the lymph nodes and is larger than 5 cm in diameter.
• Stage 4: Diagnosis shows distant metastasis, and the tumor can now be in any body part and of any size.

Possible treatment

Depending on factors like the stage, type, side effects, child’s overall health, and preferences, the treatment options for rhabdomyosarcoma include:

Chemotherapy

In Chemotherapy treatment, drugs are injected directly into the bloodstream, killing or stopping cells from dividing and spreading.

Surgery

Used in all cases of rhabdomyosarcoma; wide local excision of tumor done.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays to curb the growth of cancer cells or to kill them entirely. Usually it is preffered after surgery.

Palliative care

Also called supportive care, it focuses on treating a child’s symptoms of rhabdomyosarcoma and the side effects of drugs.

Risk Factors of Rhabdomyosarcoma

The two factors that can increase the risk of rhabdomyosarcoma are:

• Family history of cancer: A child who is a blood relative of a cancer patient (parent or sibling) is at a higher risk of developing rhabdomyosarcoma. The risk increases if the relative’s cancer occurred at a young age.
• Genetic syndromes: A few rare genetic syndromes (Costello syndrome, neurofibromatosis 1, Li-Fraumeni syndrome, Noonan syndrome, and Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome) passed down from parents to children have been linked to rhabdomyosarcoma.

Complications of Rhabdomyosarcoma

Rhabdomyosarcoma metastasizes, which means it spreads from its origin to other areas, making both treatment and recovery difficult. Cancer mostly spreads to the bones, lungs, and lymph nodes. The long-term side effects of the treatment can have a substantial impact that needs to be monitored for years. These complications may include:

• Delayed growth and development
• Infection due to chemotherapy
• Infertility or problems with reproduction
• Several bleeding episodes
• Learning problems
• Recurrence of rhabdomyosarcoma
• Development of other cancers
• Problems after surgical processes like bleeding, infection, and problems associated with general anesthesia
• Damage to the nervous system or brain, causing problems with speech, coordination, eyesight, or muscle strength.

Rhabdomyosarcoma Prevention

As doctors and medical experts do not know why and how a child gets rhabdomyosarcoma, there is no way to prevent this cancer or reduce the risk.

Epidemiology of Rhabdomyosarcoma

• Sex: Male
• Peak age: 0 to 4 years

Expected Prognosis of Rhabdomyosarcoma

About two out of three children affected by rhabdomyosarcoma can be cured with treatment. While the embryonal-type rhabdomyosarcoma remains the most treatable with the highest rate of effective cure, outcomes depend on the affected body part. Rhabdomyosarcomas that affect the eye, vagina, womb, bladder, or prostate gland have higher chances of getting cured.

In addition, for children with low-risk rhabdomyosarcoma, the five-year survival rate ranges from 70% to over 90%. For those in the intermediate-risk group, the five-year survival rate ranges from 50% to 70%. The five-year survival rate for children decreases to 20% to 30% when cancer spreads widely in the body and goes into the high-risk zone.