Rhabdomyosarcoma in All Age Groups at the Jos University Teaching Hospital

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Pediatric Oncology
• Pathology

Background:

• Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a malignant mesenchymal neoplasm with skeletal muscle differentiation.
• It is the most common soft tissue malignancy in children and adolescents up to age 20.
• RMS can originate from myogenous, extramyogenous, or ectopic sites.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) cases retrospectively.
• To investigate the relationship between RMS and patient age, sex, tumor site, and histological type.
• To characterize RMS epidemiology at the Jos University Teaching Hospital.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 70 consecutive RMS cases from January 2007 to December 2016.
• Extraction of patient data including age, sex, and anatomical site from medical records.
• Microscopic review of H&E stained slides to confirm RMS diagnosis and subclassification.

Main Results:

• A total of 70 Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) cases were identified.
• The mean age at diagnosis was 23.4±21.1 years, with cases ranging from 3 months to 80 years.
• The head and neck region was the most common primary site (27.1%), and males predominated (57.4%).

Conclusions:

• Embryonal, alveolar, and pleomorphic types were the most frequent histologic variants of Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS).
• Over half of the cases occurred in children and adolescents.
• Head and neck, extremities, and trunk were the most common sites, with a male predominance observed.