title: Unusual leptomeningeal dissemination in a child with extracranial metastatic alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma.
abstract: The authors describe a 6-year-old boy diagnosed with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma located in the thigh, with distal metastases to lungs, bones, and bone marrow. A very good partial response to first-line chemotherapy was obtained, but the child developed fatal leptomeningeal dissemination immediately after complete resection of the primary tumor. This case demonstrates the rapidity with which leptomeningeal spread of extracranial metastatic alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma can occur and underscores the importance of diagnostic lumbar puncture and brain radiological investigations at diagnosis, even when the tumors are not in the parameningeal location.
authors: Department of Pediatric Hematology Oncology, Meyer Children's Hospital, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel. m benarush@rambam.health.gov.il
authors: Myriam Weyl Ben
authors: MW
authors: Arush
authors: Yehuda
authors: Y
authors: Kollender
authors: Josephine
authors: J
authors: Issakov
authors: Rachel Bar
authors: RB
authors: Shalom
authors: Yehudit Ben
authors: YB
authors: Arieh
authors: Leonid
authors: L
authors: Malkin
authors: Sergey
authors: S
authors: Postovsky
mesh_terms: D019046:Bone Marrow Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary*; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008577:Meningeal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary*; D018232:Rhabdomyosarcoma, Alveolar / Q000556:secondary*; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D013848:Thigh