Definition Rhabdomyosarcoma Symptoms and Treatment

Rhabdomyosarcoma or RMS or 'rhabdo' is growing cancer cells from the body's soft tissues, such as skeletal muscle and connective tissue. This cancer usually forms in the head, neck, testicular, prostate, vagina, bladder, arms and legs. Rhabdomyosarcoma usually attacks a boy aged under 10 years and rarely afflict adults.

Causes and Types Rhabdomyosarcoma
 
Until now, the exact cause of rhabdomyosarcoma is unknown. However, some medical conditions caused by congenital genetic disorders increase the risk of rhabdomyosarcoma, namely:

• Neurofibromatosis, a condition that causes the growth of tumors on nerve tissue.
• Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a condition that causes people, particularly children and young adults become susceptible to the growth of some types of cancer.
• Costello syndrome and Noonan syndrome, a condition characterized by limb deformity (deformity), mental retardation, and other disorders.
• Beckwith-Wiederman syndrome, a condition that causes excessive growth in babies.
• Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome, a condition that causes abnormalities in physical appearance, such as thumb and toes wide, distinctive facial features, to an intellectual disability.
• Basal Cell Nevus Gorlin syndrome, is a condition that causes the owner to become vulnerable to non-melanoma skin cancer.

Several environmental factors can also increase the risk of rhabdomyosarcoma, such as intrauterine conditions (in the womb) that are often exposed to X-ray, the use of certain types of anticancer drugs, and parents who take cocaine or marijuana.

Some of the main types of rhabdomyosarcoma which, among other things:

• Alveolar RMS, namely the type of rhabdomyosarcoma are common in adolescent patients and often plagued area of ​​arms, legs, chest, or abdomen. This condition requires intensive care because the tumor can develop rapidly. This kind of difficult to handle.
• Pleomorphic RMS, namely the type of rhabdomyosarcoma that attacks adults and affects areas in the arm and leg muscles.
• Embryonal RMS, which is a common type of rhabdomyosarcoma that affects the head, neck, genitals or urinary tract. These conditions affect patients who are under six years old and classified as aggressive, but usually improves with treatment given.
• Botryoid, the type of embryonal RMS that strikes adults with a shaped embodiment of wine in the area of ​​the vagina or bladder.

Rhabdomyosarcoma symptoms
 
Rhabdomyosarcoma have different symptoms for different locations. A lump can be seen or reverse tumor inside the body so it does not show significant symptoms or even none.

Here are the symptoms that may appear on a specific body areas:

• Head, can have symptoms such as headaches, eyelid down, or protruding eyes.
• Prostate, symptoms such as bowel disorders and bladder.
• Vagina, symptoms such as polypoid mass growth (polyp).
• Paratestikular, symptoms such as a lump in the scrotum that is not painful.
• Uterus and cervix, symptoms such as excessive menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia) or menstrual cycles become irregular (metrorrhagia).
• Bladder, symptoms may include urinary contain blood (hematuria).
• Arms and legs / limbs, symptoms such as a lump that does not feel pain.
• The area around the eye / orbit, symptoms such as bulging eyeballs and eyeball movement which is not normal.
• Parameningeal (area ear, nasal cavity, sinuses near the nasal cavity, infratemporal fossa, and pterigopalatina), symptoms such as pain or pain in the upper respiratory tract.
• Symptoms caused by the spread of cancer cells from an organ of origin may also appear in the form of pain or aching in the bones, anemia, shortness of breath, thrombocytopenia, and neutropenia.

Diagnosis and Stadium Rhabdomyosarcoma
 
To ensure rhabdomyosarcoma, the doctor will carry out a series of screening tests. Some tests such as complete blood count can help provide information on whether the patient is suffering from anemia. Blood tests to check liver function (LFT) will provide clues as to whether the disease has on the liver.

Examination of the samples of urine (urinalysis) patients may be done to detect red blood cells (hematuria) in the urinary tract, checking electrolyte levels, and urinary tract function.

Examination of bone scan may be done to check the spread of cancer cells in the section. Analysis of bone marrow may also be done to check the spread to the bone marrow. In addition, the procedure can be done also biopsy and molecular analysis. Other tests are ultrasound, CT scan / MRI, PET, and other radiological imaging tests.

Rhabdomyosarcoma has several stages of growth and spread is divided into four stages.

• Stage 1, the disease appears only in the neck area, orbit, the head, but not in the area parameningeal, genital area and urinary tract or the bile duct.
• Stage 2, the disease appears only in the area other than the area with a stage 1 tumor size of 5 cm or smaller and has not affected lymph nodes.
• Stage 3, the disease appears only in the area other than the area with a stage 1 tumor measuring 5 cm or greater and has affected lymph nodes.
• Stage 4, there has been a metastasis or spread of cancer cells to other organs when a diagnosis is obtained.

Rhabdomyosarcoma Treatment and Complications
 
Despite having the cause is not clear, rhabdomyosarcoma disease can be cured if the symptoms can be recognized and treated early. Treatment for rhabdomyosarcoma may include surgery to remove the tumor mass, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy.

Operations performed on the tumor which allows to be appointed. However, this procedure may not be possible on a tumor that is located inside the body or in severe cases. Rhabdoyosarcoma severe may require amputation to remove the tumor or disconnect infected tissue.

Rhabdomyosarcoma is not immediately addressed risk factors for the development of other diseases, such as cardiomyopathy, metastasis of cancer cells to other organs, disorders of the lungs and metabolic system disorders.

Prevention Rhabdomyosarcoma
 
Rhabdomyosarcoma in pediatric patients have not had preventive measures known. Entertaining rhabdomyosarcoma patients can be a form of support for patients and families. Ensuring patients get all the information and support necessary to help them through periods of treatment without having to feel alone.

Tweet