Oncology Flashcards
What is rhabdomyosarcoma?
- most common soft tissue sarcoma of childhood
- arises from embryonic precursor cells
What age do we usually expect rhabdomyosarcoma to occur in?
5 years
What is the syndrome associated with rhabdomyosarcoma?
Li Fraumeni syndrome
-it is autosomal dominant and the children have an increased risk of developing rhabdomyosarcoma
Where do most rhabdomyosarcoma’s present?
- Half present in the head and neck region
- the orbit, the nasopharynx, the middle ear, the face
- a quarter in the the genito-urinary system(vagina, prostate, bladder, uterus)
Where do the metastases occur in rhabdomyosarcoma?
-usually regional lymph nodes and haematogenously to the bone, lungs and bone marrow
How do rhabdomyosarcoma’s present in the trunk and extremities?
-as a soft tissue mass and often confused for an acute abscess
What is the differential diagnosis for orbital swelling?
- Retinoblastoma
- Burkitt’s Lymphoma
- Neuroblastoma
How do we diagnose rhabdomyosarcoma?
We can take a biopsy of the lesion or do a fine needle aspirate
What is the treatment for rhabdomyosarcoma?
- Surgery
- Chemotherapy
- Radiotherapy
Which age groups have a worse prognosis for rhabdomyosarcoma?
Children under 1 year and above 10 years
Why is it important to diagnose children with cancer early?
- To get early staging and early treatment for a better prognosis
Which children are at a higher risk of developing cancer?
- Neurocutaneous disorders-neurofibromatosis
- Down syndrome
- Previous malignancy and treatment of cancer
What does the (I) in St. SILUAN menumonic mean
I- Eye- look for squint eye, proptosis, and possible visual disturbance
-look for a white spot in the eye(leucocoria)
When should we look for the white spot and how do we look for it?
-we look for it with an ophthalmoscope and this occurs at birth and at 6 weeks(look for red reflex)
What does the L stand for?
-A lump or mass
Look at the abdomen, lymph nodes, head and neck, limbs etc
