Head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma in a 4 year old girl – case report

Introduction: Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common soft tissue naoplasm in the peditric population. Its diagnosis may prove to be a dauting task due to non-specific symptoms it tends to produce, which is explainable by the fact that it may arise in any part of the body. Both histology and the place of origin of the tumour significantly affect the prognosis. Case report: A four year old girl with a history of non-painful, heamopurulent ear discharge which was initially diagnosed as chronic granulomatous otitis media presented at the Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology upon the recurrence of these symptoms. The biopsy results showed an embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma-like infiltration and the patient was referred to the Department of Pediatric Hematooncology at the Children's Hospital. The patient underwent a resective surgery that had been preceded by a course of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Following the surgery, a course of chemoradiotherapy was implemented. Currently the patient remains in remission. Conclusions: An early diagnosis is crucial in any neoplastic disease and rhabdomyosarcoma is no exception. Such diagnosis should be entertained in any instance of otolaryngological symptoms that are refractory to standard treatment.