title: Outcomes of children with rhabdomyosarcoma treated with intensive chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy through a period of protocol revision at a South African center, 1990-2010.
abstract: A total of 75 children with biopsy-proven rhabdomyosarcoma were treated at our institution between 1990 and 2010. Five-year overall survival (OS) for the entire cohort was 58.7%. OS by stage was as follows: Stage 1 (80%), Stage 2 (80%), Stage 3 (54.1%), and Stage 4 (38.5%). There was a trend to suggest that revision of treatment approaches improved crude survival over time: pre-2003 (OS 42.1%); 2003-2005 (OS 50.0%); 2005-2010 (OS 60.8%).
authors.affiliation: Haematology Oncology Service, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hendricks
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Groote Schuur Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Jeanette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Parkes
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical Pathology, National Laboratory Health Services, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Komala
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pillay
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Surgery, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Alastair
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Millar
authors.affiliation: Haematology Oncology Service, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: van Eyssen
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Surgery, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Alp
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Numanoglu
authors.affiliation: Haematology Oncology Service, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Davidson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012208:Rhabdomyosarcoma / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: middle-income countries; rhabdomyosarcoma