Primary and metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma in the breast: neoplasms of adolescent females, a report from the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study

Metastastic rhabdomyosarcoma to the breast

“…The occurrence of primary or metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma into the breast has been regarded as an uncommon event with poor prognosis [2]. Indeed, our patient had a clinical deterioration with recurrent pleural effusions and relapse of the primary tumor.…”

“…They occur mainly in adolescent girls with the primary tumor being located in the extremities and extremely rarely elsewhere such as sinonasally [4]. There is a strong association between alveolar histology and breast deposits [1,2,4,5,6]. Disseminated disease is usually evident at time of diagnosis of breast metastasis, and bone marrow involvement often precedes this development [6].…”

“…

IntroductionAlthough rhabdomyosarcoma is a common aggressive primary malignancy in the pediatric age group, metastatic deposits to the breast rarely occur and are mainly seen in adolescent girls [1,2,3]. The primary tumor is usually of the alveolar histological type and located in the extremities [4,5,6].

…”

Primary Rhabdomyosarcoma of the Breast in a 13-Year-Old Girl: Report of a Case

“…1 It affects diverse anatomical regions, although it rarely originates in the breast (0.2%). 2 There are two histological types of rhabdomyosarcoma: the embryonal type, or its subtypes (60%); and the alveolar type (20%). 3 The prognosis of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, which often develops in the head and neck region and urogenital organs in children younger than 10 years old, tends to be favorable, whereas the that of the alveolar type, which often develops in the extremities in children over 10 years old, tends to be poor, with poor responses to chemotherapy and the likelihood of early metastasis.…”

“…In 1997, the IRS summarized the clinical data available on rhabdomyosarcoma of the breast. 2 Of the 3 500 cases of rhabdomyosarcoma registered with the IRS between 1972 and 1992, only 7 (0.2%) had originated in the breast. When analysis was confined to the 423 women aged between 10 and 21 years of age, only 1.6% had rhabdomyosarcoma of breast origin.…”