title: Implant brachytherapy: a novel treatment for recurrent orbital rhabdomyosarcoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Orbital rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common primary malignancy of the orbit in childhood. Tumor resection and exenteration were the preferred treatment modalities for rhabdomyosarcoma. In the past 20 years, however, combined local radiation and systemic chemotherapy have shown excellent survival results. Tumor recurrence after any of the aforementioned therapies is almost always fatal. We have developed a novel treatment for recurrent disease that has resulted in long-term survival for three patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three patients with recurrent orbital rhabdomyosarcoma were previously treated with primary radiation and chemotherapy. At the time of recurrence, exenteration and localized brachytherapy were performed. An individually molded poly(methylmethacrylate) (Lucite; E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Wilmington, Del.) device loaded with radioactive iodine seeds delivered localized high-dose radiation, 6000 cGy over 6 days, to the orbit without irradiating the brain.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All patients are alive and free of disease with follow-up ranging from 4 years and 4 months to 8 years and 4 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A novel technique of delivering localized radiation to the orbit of three children with recurrent orbital rhabdomyosarcoma appears curative.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, New York, USA.
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Abramson
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fass
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: McCormick
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Servodidio
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Piro
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: D001918:Brachytherapy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009918:Orbital Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D012208:Rhabdomyosarcoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D015996:Survival Rate; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes