title: Results of rhabdomyosarcoma treatment in a developing country.
abstract: Fifty-one children (median age: 4.5 years; 4 months-16 years) diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma were treated in our center between 1980-1999. The primary sites were head and neck in 31.4%, the genito-urinary system in 21.6%, and extremities in 9.8% of the patients. The histopathologic subtypes were embryonal in 80.4%, alveolar in 9.8%, and undifferentiated in 9.8%. The majority of the patients were considered group III (47%) and group IV (25.5%) according the criteria of the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study (IRS). Primary total tumour resection was performed in only 27.5% of the patients. The patients were treated with assigned regimens of IRS II and IRS III protocols. Radiotherapy was applied to 92.1% of the patients. Thirty-four patients (66.7%) were lost to follow up, and of the remaining 17 patients, 7 patients (41.2%) died, relapse occurred in 9 patients (52.9%) and 10 patients (58.8%) are alive. The percentage of cases lost to follow up during the first 10 years and the following 9 years of the study were 77.4% and 50%, respectively. In compliance with cancer treatment remains a major problem in developing countries.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Haematology/Oncology, Istanbul School of Medicine, Turkey.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Karakas
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Agaoglu
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Biner
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Devecioglu
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Anak
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yalman
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Unuvar
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Celik
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gedikoglu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003906:Developing Countries; D005121:Extremities; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D010352:Patient Dropouts; D012208:Rhabdomyosarcoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014421:Turkey; D014565:Urogenital Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*