Clinical and morphological observation of a 19-year-old patient with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma of the head and neck region

Abstract

Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS) is an aggressive primitive tumor with limited differentiation of rhabdomyoblasts. Primarily, it occurs in children and teens under 15 years of age in the head and neck region (in 40 % of cases). In patients older than 19-20 years, ARMS is significantly less common and is localized primarily on the limbs, while head and neck region is affected in about 24 % of all cases, involvement of the orbit in the tumor process is very rare. ARMS progression in adults is more aggressive than in children, and prognosis is more unfavorable due to development of regional and distant metastases at the time of diagnosis. Hence, selection of antitumor therapy is limited to drug treatment. Use of multimodal approach to therapy allows to improve treatment outcomes and increase quality of life in patients with ARMS.