title: Clinical character of pediatric head and neck rhabdomysarcomas: a 7-year retrospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The rhabdomysarcoma (RMS) is most common soft tissue carcinoma in children, mostly found in the head and neck with high degree of malignancy. The current study aimed to summarize clinical data and evaluate treatment outcome of cases in a single hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-one (24 male, 17 female) children with newly diagnosed RMS in Beijing Tong Ren Hospital were enrolled between November, 2004 and May, 2011. The. Students' t and Chi tests were then performed on retrospectively reviewed clinical data, followed by survival analysis based on the Kaplan Meier method using SPSS 17.0 software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of all cases, 32 were treated by common chemotherapy, and 3 cases with stage III RMS received high-dose chemotherapy and auto-peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (APBSCT). Side-effects in the former were: I grade for 62.5% (20/32), II grade for 28.1% (9/32), III grade account for 9.275% (3/32). Side-effects of 3 cases with APBSCT: 2 were I grade, 1 was III grade. The median follow-up time of 41 RMS cases was 41 months. Four cases were lost to follow-up, 7 cases recurred, and 5 cases died of cerebral metastasis, witha total survival rate was 86.5% (32/37). CR rate was 67.6% (25/37), PR was 18.9% (7/37).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Multidiscipline treatment including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery and auto-PBSCT is highly recommended for pediatric patients with head and neck RMS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Tong Ren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. dongshenghuangcn@163.com
authors.forename: Wei-Ling
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Dong-Sheng
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Hui-Min
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Tian
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhi
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D036102:Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012208:Rhabdomyosarcoma / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors; D014916:Whole-Body Irradiation