title: Orbital rhabdomyosarcoma: a case series.
abstract: Orbital rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common orbital malignancy of childhood with the common presentation of rapidly evolving unilateral proptosis. We studied six patients who were diagnosed and treated for rhabdomyosarcoma between January 1999 and June 2004. The age of the patients ranged from 4 to 29 years. Four patients presented with acute onset proptosis associated with signs of inflammation, mimicking orbital cellulitis. One patient presented with lid mass. Another patient presented with a soft, blind eye that was pushed superotemporally by a large inflammed, vascularised mass. Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma was the commonest histopathological type in our series found in five patients. One patient was completely cured with chemotherapy alone whereas two patients were treated with a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Three patients in our series required exenteration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry - 605 006, India. subadoc@sify.com
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaliaperumal
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tiroumal
authors.forename: Va
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003609:Dactinomycin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009918:Orbital Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011878:Radiotherapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012208:Rhabdomyosarcoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors; D003609:Dactinomycin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide