Treatment for rhabdomyosarcoma requires close coordination between surgeons, pediatric oncologists and radiotherapists. The response of tumors is very much dependent on their site of origin.
A series of studies have been performed by the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study (IRS), now a part of the Children’s Oncology Group which has outlined the treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma. Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s plays an active role in this organization.
For treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma, surgery is often a first step — allowing doctors to form a complete diagnosis of the tumor type and providing information on the stage of the disease. Complete surgical removal of a rhabdomyosarcoma is often not possible. Your child's doctor may also recommend radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy. Radiation therapy can help stop the growth of abnormal cells in specific areas of the body using high-energy rays from a specialized machine to damage or kill abnormal cells.
Chemotherapy is systemic treatment, meaning it is introduced to the bloodstream and travels throughout the body to kill or slow the growth of targeted cells. Different groups of chemotherapy drugs work in different ways, and can be taken in a variety of ways including orally or intravenously. While chemotherapy can be quite effective in treating certain cancers, the agents don't completely differentiate normal healthy cells from abnormal cells. Because of this, your child could have adverse side effects during treatment.
Deciding on which of these approaches to use depends largely on the tumor's site. For instance, a sarcoma in the muscles of the arms or legs is often initially treated with surgical removal, which may be followed by chemotherapy with or without radiation. A tumor in the bladder or prostate requires chemotherapy prior to attempts at surgical removal or treatment with radiation. Tumors around the eye are very responsive to chemotherapy and radiation, so they rarely require surgical removal.
