Laryngeal rhabdomyosarcoma in adults

Laryngeal rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare disease. Only nine of these tumours have been adequately described in world literature in the adult population. Adult patients with laryngeal rhabdomyosarcoma often present at a later stage than other laryngeal tumours, including squamous cell carcinoma. Diagnosis is made by identification of cross-striations histochemically or cytoplasmic myoglobin by immunohistological methods. We present a 66-year-old woman with pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma of her larynx. This is the first female in the adult age group to be presented. Surgical treatment with adjuvant radiotherapy is currently the treatment of choice for this disease. We provide a review of the literature on laryngeal rhabdomyosarcoma, including presentation, pathology and management of this rare disease.