Rhabdomyosarcoma

Treatment

Rhabdomyosarcoma can be treated with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Often a combination of these treatments offers the best chance of success. Rhabdomyosarcoma treatment at Mayo Clinic is planned with two goals in mind: (1) to cure the cancer and (2) to save as much function of the affected area as possible.

Surgery

Surgeons will remove the tumor if it is safe to do so. Chemotherapy and radiation may be given before or after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells. Surgeons will remove the tumor if it is feasible to do so without causing disability or disfigurement.

Chemotherapy

A combination of cancer-fighting drugs attacks rhabdomyosarcoma cells wherever they may be in the body. The timing of chemotherapy and surgery is coordinated when the patient receives both treatments.

Radiation

Radiation oncologists apply high-energy external beam radiation to tissues containing rhabdomyosarcoma cells. Radiation may be used as a supplement to surgery, delivered before or after surgery, or for cases when the tumor cannot be safely removed. Depending upon the tumor's size, shape and location, tumors are treated using 3D conformal radiation therapy or intensity-modulated radiation therapy, both highly precise technologies.

After removal of the tumor, intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) may be given. IORT may involve placement of hollow tubes for insertion of brachytherapy seeds several days after the surgery.

The cure rate for rhabdomyosarcoma depends on many factors, including:

• Age of the patient
• Exact type of tumor
• Tumor's location in the body
• The size of the tumor at diagnosis
• Whether the cancer has spread (metastasized)