Rhabdomyosarcoma of the bladder and prostate in children

Fifteen children, 14 males and 1 female with a mean age of 4.9 years, were treated for rhabdomyosarcoma of the bladder and the prostate, between 1976 and 1985. In 14 patients, the disease was limited to the pelvis, while one had pulmonary metastases. The lesions were trigonal in 12 patients and involved the prostate in the other three. Eleven patients received vincristine-Adriamycin-cyclophosphamide (VAC) chemotherapy, followed by radiation therapy. Four of these 11 patients required cystoprostatectomy for residual or persistent disease. Of the remaining four patients, two underwent radical cystoprostatectomy, one partial cystectomy and the patient with pulmonary metastases received only chemotherapy. Six patients were alive at 5 years (40% 5-year survival). Six patients died of local relapse within 18 months, one patient died of an unknown cause, while two patients were lost to follow-up free of disease after 2 years.