title: Limits and chances in an unfortunate course of recurrent orbital rhabdomyosarcoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Orbital rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) in childhood has an excellent survival rate after chemotherapy and radiation, and mutilating surgery can often be avoided.
  
  
  METHODS
  As a rarity we present an unfortunate disease course in a child suffering from orbital embryonal RMS which did not enduringly respond to multimodal therapy including local excision and exenteration orbitae. After short intervals and despite tumor-free margins, orbital RMS recurred twice and led to an extended exenteration orbitae including the bony margins. Because of the lack of standards for adjuvant therapy in cases of recurrences after exenteration orbitae, therapy had to be restricted to a wait- and- see strategy as the only chance of tumor control.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although survival rates of orbital RMS are high, the possibility of recurrence should not be underestimated. In cases of refractory RMS, new concepts are needed to offer further chances for survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Medicine of the University of Göttingen, Bremen, Germany. janrustem@gmx.de
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rustemeyer
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Günther
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Junker
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D009915:Orbit / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D009918:Orbital Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D012208:Rhabdomyosarcoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery