The most common soft-tissue sarcoma in infants and children is rhabdomyosarcoma. The head and neck is the most common site of involvement; temporal bone involvement has been seen in about 7% of reported cases. Multimodality therapy—surgery, multiagent chemotherapy, and radiotherapy—yields sufficiently good results. The author reports a case of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the temporal bone with cranial nerve palsies and extension into the parapharyngeal space in a 4-year-old boy. Despite surgery and chemotherapy, the patient died of his disease within 3 months of presentation.
References
1.
BarnesPH, MaxwellMJ. Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of middle ear: Report of a case with 12 years’ survival with a review of the literature. J Laryngol Otol1972;86:1145–54.
2.
WiatrakBJ, PensakML. Rhabdomyosarcoma of the ear and temporal bone. Laryngoscope1989;99:1188–92.
3.
RakovAI. Malignant rhabdomyosarcomas of the skeletal musculature. Am J Cancer1937;30:455–76.
4.
StoutAP. Rhabdomyosarcoma of the skeletal muscles. Ann Surg1946;123:447–72.
5.
HornRCJr., EnterlineHT. Rhabdomyosarcoma: A clinicopathological study and classification of 39 cases. Cancer1958;11:181–99.
6.
CanalisRF, GussenR.Temporal bone findings in rhabdomyosarcoma with predominantly petrous involvement. Arch Otolaryngol1980;106:290–3.
7.
FeldmanBA. Rhabdomyosarcoma of the head and neck. Laryngoscope1982;92:424–40.
8.
PratJ, GrayGF. Massive neuraxial spread of aural rhabdomyosarcoma. Arch Otolaryngol1977;103:301–3.
9.
MyersEN, StoolS, WeltschewMA. Rhabdomyosarcoma of the middle ear. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol1968;77:949–58.
10.
KhuranaAS, BawaGS, SinghJ.Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. Indian J Otolaryngol1987;39:125–6.
11.
RaneyRBJr., LawrenceWJr., MaurerHM, Rhabdomyosarcoma of the ear in childhood. A report from the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study-1. Cancer1983;51:2356–61.
12.
MassonJK, SouleEH. Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the head and neck. Report on eighty-eight cases. Am J Surg1965;110:585–91.
