Adult laryngeal rhabdomyosarcoma: Report of a case and literature review

Abstract

Rhabdomyosarcoma is relatively seen in the pediatric age group with the head and neck region as the commonest site. To the best of our knowledge, few cases of laryngeal involvement in adult have been described in the literature. Biologically, rhabdomyosarcoma is different from squamous cell carcinoma, which is the commonest tumor of the larynx. A previously healthy non-smoker 77-year-old lady presented to the ENT outpatient with a six weeks history of intermittent alteration of voice quality. She had no history of sore throat, or any symptoms suggesting laryngo-pharyngeal reflux. Examination showed asymmetry of the left arytenoid cartilage and aryepiglottic fold. She subsequently had a direct laryngoscopy and biopsy. Histology and immunohistochemistry examination suggested the diagnosis of mesenchymal neoplasm. Following discussion at MDT she subsequently had a total laryngectomy. Histology confirmed a completely excised laryngeal rhabdomyosarcoma. Rhabdomyosarcoma of larynx in adult is a rare disease. Surgical treatment with or without adjuvant radiotherapy is currently the treatment of choice for this disease. Key words: Rhabdomyosarcoma, larynx cancer RésuméLe Rhabdomyosarcome est relativement connu dans le groupe d'âge pédiatrique et les régions les plus touchées sont la tête et le cou. A notre connaissance, peu de cas de l'implication du larynx chez des adultes ont été cités dans la littérature. Biologiquement, rhabdomyosarcome est différent de la cellule squameuse carcinome, qui est la tumeur de larynx la plus ordinaire. Une femme non-fumeuse, âgée de 77 ans d'une très bonne santé au départ, s'est présentée à l'ORL ambulatoire avec une période de six semaines histoires de l'altération répétée de la qualité de la voix. Elle n'avait pas d'antécédente de maux de gorge ou aucun symptômes suggestifs le reflux laryngo-pharyngien. L'examen a montré l'asymétrie de la gauche aryténoïde cartilage aryepiglottique pli. Elle a par la suite eu une laryngoscopie directe et la biopsie. L'examen histologique et immunohistochimie a suggéré le diagnostique des tumeurs mesenchymteuses, néoplasme. A la suite d'une discussion au MDT elle a ensuite eu une laryngectomie totale. L'histologie a confirmé une excisée larynx chez des adultes qui est une maladie rare. Le traitement chirurgical avec ou sans radiothérapie adjuvante est actuellement le traitement du choix pour cette maladie.

A Rhabdomyosarcoma Arising in the Larynx of a Dog

“…The incidence of human laryngeal rhabdomyosarcomas is very rare, and the pathogenesis remains to be investigated 13,16,17 . Three histological subtypes of human rhabdomyosarcomas have been identified: the embryonal, alveolar and pleomorphic types 17 .…”

Pleomorphic Rhabdomyosarcoma Arising from True Vocal Fold of Larynx: Report of a Rare Case and Literature Review

“…Laryngeal pleomorphic RMSs are found more often in males than in females. There have been 3 cases of female patients [ 7 , 11 , 12 ] reported in the literature versus 19 cases of male patients, including our case.…”

“…In the last 15 years, only 6 cases of pleomorphic RMS of the larynx have been reported. Prgomet et al [ 6 ] illustrated a case of pleomorphic RMS treated with CO 2 laser cordectomy and chemotherapy; Shayah et al [ 7 ] reported a case in a 68-year-old male; Schrock et al [ 1 ] described 2 cases of adult pleomorphic RMSs and Pittore et al [ 8 ] reported a 75-year-old male with laryngeal pleomorphic RMS. Chiramel et al [ 9 ] recently described a case of pleomorphic RMS of the supraglottic larynx in a 70-year-old man.…”

Low-Grade Myofibroblastic Sarcoma of the Larynx

“…[20][21][22] Of laryngeal sarcomas, chondrosarcoma is the most common, but other types such as leiomyosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, osteosarcoma, liposarcoma, and synovial sarcoma, have also been described. [23][24][25][26][27][28][29] Sarcomas of the larynx may develop in any portion of the organ. Similar to carcinomas, however, they tend to originate in the vocal cords where they usually present as a painless submucosal mass.…”