title: Acute hearing loss, dysarthria, dysphagia, and a rubbery intraoral mass in an 18-year-old woman.
abstract: Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common soft tissue tumor of childhood, frequently presenting in the head and neck, genitourinary tract, or extremities. We present a case of rhabdomyosarcoma in which an 18-year-old woman presented with abrupt onset unilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, dysarthria, dysphagia, and a new painless red bump on the palate. With an alveolar subtype and older age, both predictors of poor prognosis, early recognition of disease of these symptoms is vital.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Leslie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Aitken
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blau
authors.forename: Matthew R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Lewin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D004401:Dysarthria / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D010157:Palatal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy; D012074:Remission Induction; D018232:Rhabdomyosarcoma, Alveolar / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000209:etiology*