Parameningeal rhabdomyosarcoma

The records of 27 patients with rhabdomyosarcoma involving the parameningeal area (nasopharynx, paranasal sinus, and middle ear) treated from 1961 to 1976 were reviewed. Due to the location of the primary tumor, radiation and chemotherapy were used but surgery was limited to simple biopsy. In the literature, spread of tumor from these primary sites to the meninges has been as high as 26-35%. In this series, meningeal disease developed in only 2 of the 27 patients (7%).