Rhabdomyosarcoma: symptoms, causes and treatment

Rhabdomyosarcoma definition

What is rhabdomyosarcoma?

Rhabdomyosarkoma or rabdomiosarcoma is a type of cancer that develops in the soft tissues of the body. This soft tissue is usually found in connective muscles, such as the muscles of the arms, legs and muscles in the reproductive organs.

This cancer is a type of sarcoma, which is cancer that occurs in the supporting or connecting tissues of the body. There are two types of sarcomas, namely soft tissue sarcomas and bone sarcomas. Rabdomiosarcoma is classified as a soft tissue sarcoma.

This condition can occur in muscle, fat, blood vessels, or any soft tissue. However, the parts of the body most commonly affected by this type of cancer are the head, neck, bladder, vagina, arms and legs.

How common is this cancer?

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a type of cancer that is classified as rare, but it is one of the most common types of soft tissue sarcoma, especially in children.

The incidence of this disease is more common in children, especially those in the 2-6 years and 15-19 years age group.

Types of rhabdomyosarcoma

Reporting from the page of the American Cancer Society, rabdomiosarcoma is divided into several types, including:

1. Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma

This condition is the most common, especially in children aged 6 years and under. Usually, the body parts most often affected by this type of cancer are the neck and head.

Sometimes, the tissues in the eye can also be affected by embryonal cancer cells. This condition is called orbital rabdomiosarcoma.

Other parts of the body that are often found in embryonic cancer cells are reproductive organs, such as vaginal cancer, uterine cancer, bladder cancer, and prostate cancer.

One of the subtypes of embryonal cancer is sarcoma botryoide. These types of tumors appear in groups in one place, and are usually found in the nose, eyes, or vagina. This type of embryonal cancer is generally easy to spread to surrounding tissues.

2. Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma

The alveolar type is more common in older children, as well as in patients entering puberty.

Cancer cells are usually found in the arms, legs, chest, or stomach. However, the alveolar type cancer cells develop faster when compared to the embryonal type. Therefore, this type of cancer requires far more intensive medical treatment.

3.Anaplastic rhabdomyosarcoma (pleomorphic)

Anaplastic or pleomorphic cancers are very rare. The incidence is more common in adults.

Signs & symptoms of rhabdomyosarcoma

This cancer can develop in any part of the body. Therefore, the signs and symptoms may vary from person to person. In addition, the appearance of symptoms also depends on the location, size and severity of the developing tumor.

Common signs and symptoms of rhabdomyosarcoma (rabdomiosarcoma) are:

• Cancer of the soft tissue of the eye: watery eyes, sore eyes, or a popping up.
• Cancer of the soft tissue of the nose and throat: nasal congestion, nosebleeds, or voice changes, or nasal discharge and pus.
• Cancer of the soft tissue of the genital or urinary tract: abdominal pain, palpable lump in the stomach, difficulty urinating, and bloody urine.
• Cancer of the soft tissue of the hands and feet: hard lumps on the arms or legs. This cancer continues to spread, especially to the lungs, bone marrow, and lymph nodes.

Some of the other symptoms or signs may not be listed above. If you feel anxious about these symptoms, consult your doctor immediately.

When to see a doctor?

You should see a doctor immediately if you experience these conditions:

• Lumps that don't go away or swelling in any part of the body.
• Eyes popping up or eyelids swelling.
• Headache and nausea.
• Difficulty urinating or disturbances in bowel movements.
• Blood in the urine.
• Bleeding from the nose, throat, vagina, or rectum.
• One of the scrotum is enlarged.

If you experience one or more of the cancer symptoms mentioned above, don't delay any more time to see a doctor.

Causes of rhabdomyosarcoma

Generally, cancer cells develop due to genetic mutations in the cells of the human body. However, it is not yet known what the exact cause of the genetic mutation that causes cancer cells is.

Under normal conditions, the body's cells will develop, replicate, and die at a certain rate. This condition is regulated by genes called oncogens and tumor suppressor genes.

If one or both of these genes are mutated, there will be uncontrolled growth of body cells. As a result, mutated cells cannot die and accumulate, allowing tumors to form.

These cancer cells can move to surrounding body tissues, or even move to other organs. This condition is known as metastasis.

It is possible for soft tissue cancer cells to appear in areas that have been previously exposed to radiation, for example radiotherapy for the treatment of other types of cancer.

In addition, experts also believe that exposure to chemicals also increases a person's risk of developing cancer cells in the body.

Risk factors for rhabdomyosarcoma

The following are risk factors that can trigger a person to develop rhabdomyosarcoma (rabdomiosarcoma):

1. Age

Although this disease can occur in all age groups, it is more common in children under 10 years.

However, it is possible that adolescents and adults can also contract this disease.

2. Gender

The incidence of this disease is slightly higher in male patients than in female patients.

3. Heredity

Certain inherited conditions increase a person's risk of developing this disease, including a variety of genetic disorders that make people more susceptible to developing this cancer, such as:

• Neurofibromatosis type 1

Also known as von Recklinghausen's disease, this disease causes the growth of several nerve tumors at one time. This condition can increase the risk of sufferers to suffer from rabdomiosarcoma.

• Costello Syndrome

This syndrome is very rare. Children with this syndrome have a height and weight below average, and a head that tends to be larger than normal.

• Noonan Syndrome

This syndrome is a condition in which children grow under height, have heart defects, and tend to be slow in developing cognitive abilities.

Rhabdomyosarcoma diagnosis & treatment

The information described is not a substitute for medical advice. ALWAYS consult your doctor.

The doctor will ask about your medical history, the symptoms you are experiencing, and perform a physical examination to check for lumps in certain parts of the body.

If the doctor suspects cancer or another type of tumor, you will be asked to undergo other tests, such as:

1. CT scan

A CT scan combines x-ray photos taken from various angles, so that soft tissues such as muscles can be seen clearly.

Through this test, doctors can see the tumor in detail, to detect its size and distribution in the body.

2. MRI scan

This procedure uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field to produce photos with better detail than an x-ray or CT scan. MRI can also show the structure of muscles, fat, and connective tissues in greater depth.

3. Bone scan

This test can help doctors see if cancer cells have spread to the bones. The doctor will inject a radioactive fluid into your blood, which will then move to the bones.

With a special camera, the fluid can be detected, so that a photo of your skeleton can be produced.

4. Ultrasound

An ultrasound test is done using sound waves which can produce images of the organs in your body.

How to treat rhabdomyosarcoma?

The following is a type of cancer treatment for rhabdomyosarcoma (rabdomiosarcoma) that is generally undertaken:

Surgical removal of cancer cells

Surgery is the first step in treating cancer that has not spread. This can be done by removing cancer cells in the tissue, or with other nearby tissues that are also affected by cancer.

During surgery, nearby lymph nodes may be biopsied to determine if cancer has spread to this area, especially if:

• The main tumor is near the testicle in boys who are 10 years or older.
• The main tumor is in the arm or leg.

Some types of surgery may need to be performed by a specialized surgeon, for example, removal of tumors in the head and neck area may require a surgical team with ENT (ear, nose and throat) surgeons, plastic surgeons, maxillofacial surgeons, and neurosurgeons.

If the tumor is large or is in a place where complete removal will cause other problems, then surgery may be postponed first. Patients will be asked to undergo chemotherapy or radiotherapy first.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a therapy using drugs to treat cancer. These drugs enter the bloodstream and enter the body to destroy cancer cells. This makes chemotherapy useful for killing cancer cells that have spread to other parts of the body, even though they are not visible.

Sometimes, this treatment is done to shrink the tumor before surgery is performed. Some of the chemotherapy drug combinations used to treat rhabdomyosarcoma (rabdomiosarcoma) are:

• VA: vincristine and dactinomycin.
• VAC: vincristine, dactinomycin, and cyclophosphamide.
• VAC / VI: vincristine, dactinomycin, and cyclophosphamide or with vincristine and irinotecan.

Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy is a cancer treatment that relies on radiation. It has the same function as chemotherapy, which kills cancer cells while reducing the size of the tumor.

Usually radiation therapy is given to each area of ​​the cancer, after 6 to 12 weeks of chemotherapy. Except, when the cancer is in the lining of the brain and has grown into the skull or spinal cord, this treatment is done in conjunction with chemotherapy.

Home treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma

In addition to following treatment at the hospital, cancer sufferers must also adopt a healthy lifestyle, such as:

• Eat healthy, nutritious foods, such as increasing your intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Cut down on foods high in sugar, fat and salt. Consult with a doctor or nutritionist for a proper cancer diet.
• Get enough sleep and reduce stress with meditation, breathing exercises, or counseling with a psychologist.
• Stay active, by doing light exercise that is approved by a doctor.

Rhabdomyosarcoma prevention

There are no proven preventive measures to prevent rabdomiosarcoma cancer in children. However, in adults the risk of this disease can be lowered, namely by adopting a lifestyle like the following:

• Quit smoking and avoid cigarette smoke around you.
• Maintain an ideal body weight by staying active and exercising diligently.
• Eat healthy, nutritious foods that are rich in antioxidants to keep your body cells healthy, namely by increasing your intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, or nuts.