title: Pelvic alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma in a young adult.
abstract: Rhabdomyosarcomas are soft-tissue tumors, rare in adults. Accounting for nearly 5% of childhood cancers, they represent less than 0.03% of adult malignancies (1, 2). Three different subtypes of rhabdomyosarcoma have been described (embryonal, alveolar and pleomorphic), making up approximately 50%, 30%, and 20% of the cases, respectively (3). Although the definitive diagnosis is made pathologically, some distinguishing features among these subtypes, and between rhabdomyosarcomas and other soft-tissue tumors, can be suggested on MRI and CT. We present an interesting case of a 20-year-old female with a locally aggressive pelvic alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. While the prognosis has improved with newer treatment techniques, overall survival rates remain poor. Our case study presents typical features of a rare disease, which can often present a diagnostic dilemma for clinicians.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Reisner
authors.forename: Chiemezie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Amadi
authors.forename: Irwin
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Beckman
authors.forename: Shweta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Ramana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Surampudi