Head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma in adults.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to explore the treatment and prognosis of head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) in adults.


METHODS
Fifty-nine patients with head and neck RMS in adults (AHNRMS) treated in one institution were selected. Multivariate analysis was used to evaluate the various variables related to overall survival (OS).


RESULTS
The estimated 5-year OS was 36%. The rate of cervical lymph node (CLN) involvement was 28%. Patients with embryonic RMS who underwent chemotherapy enjoyed a favorable outcome according to the multivariate analysis (P = 0.047). Local recurrence (n = 30) and distant metastasis (n = 17) were the main causes of treatment failure. The rate of local recurrence or distant metastasis in the patients who underwent chemotherapy also decreased. Positive surgical margin (32%) was frequently seen in the AHNRMS. Primary site (P = 0.01), tumor size (P < 0.0001), CLN (P = 0.003), and margin status (P = 0.0002) were significant prognostic factors related to OS.


CONCLUSIONS
Head and neck RMS in adults is a rare malignancy with a poor outcome, which is more likely to have CLN involvement compared with other soft tissue sarcomas of the head and neck. Standard treatment for AHNRMS should comprise surgery and chemotherapy.
From the *Department of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Oncology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai; and †Department of Oral Pathology, Institute of Stomatology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
Yunteng
Y
Wu
Chaojun
C
Li
Yi
Y
Zhong
Wei
W
Guo
Guoxin
G
Ren
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012208:Rhabdomyosarcoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery*; D015996:Survival Rate; D017211:Treatment Failure; D047368:Tumor Burden; D055815:Young Adult