title: Is alveolar histotype a prognostic factor in paratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma? The experience of Italian and German Soft Tissue Sarcoma Cooperative Group.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To ascertain whether alveolar histology retains its adverse prognostic role in the subset of paratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) patients, generally characterized by a very good outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty pediatric patients were treated over a 25-year period using the protocols of the Italian and German Soft Tissue Sarcoma Cooperative Groups. Clinical characteristics at presentation were much the same as in non-alveolar patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proportion of patients with alveolar histotype (8%) in paratesticular site was lower than in the general RMS population (20-30%). With a median follow-up of 122 months, 5-year EFS and OS were 78 and 89%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest a distinctly better clinical behavior of paratesticular alveolar RMS than when the disease occurs at other sites. These patients were more intensively treated than the embryonal cases, however, so-although a treatment intensity reduction may be desiderable-the idea of eliminating the alkylating agents (as in low-risk embryonal paratesticular RMS) must be considered with great caution.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milano, Italy. andrea.ferrari@istitutotumori.mi.it
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bisogno
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Casanova
authors.forename: I B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Brecht
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Alaggio
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cecchetto
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Provenzi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Koscielniak
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Treuner
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carli
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011878:Radiotherapy; D018232:Rhabdomyosarcoma, Alveolar / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D018233:Rhabdomyosarcoma, Embryonal / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D015996:Survival Rate; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome