Sarcoma of the larynx in a newborn

A newborn male presented with respiratory distress and laryngeal stridor at the time of birth. Laryngoscopy revealed a circumscribed mass in the right vocal cord which was diagnosed as an undifferentiated malignant neoplasm on frozen section. Further light microscopic studies, special stains and electron microscopy disclosed features consistent with a special subtype of sarcoma adopted by the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Committee. Several authors have also demonstrated similarities between this type of tumor and soft tissue Ewing sarcomas. Nonepithelial malignancies of the larynx are rare in children and are only anecdotally reported in newborns. Histopathologically, the tumors predominantly include rhabdomyosarcomas among other rarer less well documented sarcomas and lymphomas. Although modern chemotherapy and radiotherapy have improved the otherwise grim prognosis of soft tissue Ewing sarcoma, this young patient was only treated with total laryngectomy at ten days of age and is alive and well two years later.