Rhabdomyosarcoma

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Antibodies

Soft tissue sarcoma; Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma; Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma; Sarcoma botryoides

The most common symptom is a mass that may or may not be painful.

Other symptoms vary depending on location of the tumor.

• Tumors in the nose or throat may cause bleeding, congestion, swallowing problems, or neurological problems if they extend into the brain.
• Tumors around the eyes may cause bulging of the eye, problems with vision, swelling around the eye, or pain.
• Tumors in the ears, may cause pain, hearing loss, or swelling.
• Tumors in the vagina may be visibly protruding from the opening of the vagina.
• Bladder and vaginal tumors may cause lead to trouble starting to urinate or having a bowel movement, or poor control of urine.
• Muscle tumors may lead to a painful lump and are often thought to be an injury.

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Diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma is often delayed because of lack of symptoms, and because the tumor may appear at the same time as a recent injury. Early diagnosis is important because rhabdomyosarcoma is an aggressive tumor that spreads quickly.

A complete physical exam should be done. Tests done to diagnose this condition may include:

• Biopsy of the tumor
• CT scan of the chest to look for spread of the tumor
• CT scan of the tumor site
• Bone marrow biopsy (may show the cancer has spread)
• Bone scan to look for spread of the tumor
• MRI scan of the tumor site
• Spinal tap (lumbar puncture)

Review Date: 03/02/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine and Yi-Bin Chen, MD, Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).