Fatal rhabdomyosarcoma among children in the United States, 1960–69

Abstract

Study of death certificates for 1170 U.S. children who died of rhabdomyosarcoma revealed for the first time that the age distribution has two peaks, one soon after birth and the other at 15–19 years. The early peak was due primarily to tumors of the head, neck, and genitourinary tract; the peak during late adolescence was mainly due to tumors of the testes and adjacent structures. The sex ratio (M/F) when the genitourinary tract was involved was 2.0, significantly higher than 1.2, the sex ratio when the head and neck was affected. Other studies have revealed that rhabdomyosarcoma clusters in certain families with a high frequency of other neoplasms. Copyright © 1974 American Cancer Society