An unusual presentation of neonatal rhabdomyosarcoma: a case report

A full-term infant with an unremarkable prenatal course presented at birth with a large midline facial mass and smaller masses in the head and neck. In addition, multiple diffuse flesh-colored nodules spread along all the upper and lower limbs. An extensive evaluation to cover a broad differential diagnosis of infectious, lymphatic/vascular, and oncologic etiology was undertaken. The initial suspicion was confirmed by biopsy of the skin lesion as congenital alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). RMS is the most common soft tissue sarcoma that occurs in childhood. However, neonatal RMS is exceedingly rare. The infant's initial treatment included vincristine, dactinomycin, and cyclophosphamide in addition to salvage ifosfamide and etoposide, which were dose-adjusted for age. Herein, we present a case of an infant with RMS who showed initial improvement before relapsing and succumbing to her disease at 5 months of age. A review of the limited literature available on this rare condition and newer treatment regimens with improved mortality rates is performed.