Adult rhabdomyosarcoma

Abstract

Adult rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare occurrence. Histogenetically it may be found in three different ways: a) as a primary soft tissue tumor, b) as an heterologous component of mixed tumors and c) the uncommon occurrence of residual chemotherapy germinal tumor. There are four histological patterns matching in an ordered form with patients age: 1) embrionary rhabdomyosarcoma, 2) botryoid, 3) alveolar and 4) pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma. Clinical behavior is characteristically featured by they aggressive way. Chemotherapy response is variable and survival prognosis is poor, specially combined with advanced clinical stage. Molecular bases of myogenic differentiation are engaged with several genes as: Myo-D Mif-4 and Mif-6. Histological diagnosis of this tumor might be extremely difficult because of the poor differentiated growth pattern. In this paper we are describing morphological features under light microscopy and electron microscopy and we also describe some immunohistochemical features of these tumors. Matching employ of these diagnostical procedures produce around 80% of definite diagnosis. In the current paper we are describing the findings in 25 adult cases of rhabdomyosarcoma.