Chromosome abnormalities in a primary adult embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the prostate

Spindle cell embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the prostate in an adult patient: a case report and review of the literature

Rhabdomyosarcoma of the prostate is a rare mesenchymal tumor that originates from undifferentiated mesenchymal cells. Spindle cell rhabdomyosarcoma is a variant of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. The vast majority of these two pathological types occur in children, with only a few adult cases reported to date, and both are associated with poor clinical outcomes. We herein report a case involving a man in his early 40s with spindle cell embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the prostate. His chief complaint was difficult urination. The diagnosis was confirmed by puncture biopsy of the prostate, and pelvic lymph node metastasis was already present at the time of diagnosis. The patient underwent three courses of chemotherapy. However, his response to the treatment was very poor, and he died of the disease 4 months after diagnosis.

Primary Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma of the Prostate in Adults

This study reports on a case of an adult patient with embryonal rhadomyosarcoma of the prostate and comprehensively reviews the world literature on this subject. The patient was a 49-year-old man with advanced stage disease, who initially underwent transurethral tumor resection and after diagnosis was given courses of chemotherapy prior to undergoing radical cystoprostatevesiculectomy. The tumor underwent histological examination supplemented by immunohistochemical analysis. After surgery, the patient experienced a huge pelvic recurrence and eventually died of disease 1 year after the original diagnosis. The world literature was reviewed based both on a PubMed/Medline search and the reference lists of all the available publications on this subject and only 24 cases of primary embryonal prostatic rhabdomyosarcoma have been found in the world literature in adult males (≥18 years). Embryonal rhadomyosarcoma of the prostate in adults is a very rare and aggressive disease. The long-term disease-specific survival rate is poor. Stage influences the outcome. Early diagnosis and complete surgical resection offer patients the best chance of improved survival.

Cytogenetic and molecular studies of an unusual case of multiple primary alveolar rhabdomyosarcomas: low-level chromosomal instability and reciprocal translocation t(6;11)

Cytogenetic and molecular studies have shown that approximately 80% of cases of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS) have consistent chromosomal translocation of either t(2;13) or t(1;13), resulting in either PAX3-FKHR or PAX7-FKHR gene fusions. However, 20% of the cases diagnosed histologically are negative for these fusion genes. The clinical and pathological properties of the so-called fusion gene negative tumors remain to be defined. We present an unusual case of a 7-year-old boy who developed three separate primary ARMS over a 5-year period, with the first tumor diagnosed at the age of 12 months. The tumors were negative for the characteristic translocations, t(2;13) or t(1;13), but showed evidence of low-level chromosomal instability and a reciprocal chromosomal translocation t(6;11)(q27;q13). PCR amplification of the p53 gene, exons 2-11, followed by DNA sequencing did not detect any germline p53 mutation. These clinical and cytogenetic features have not been reported previously in ARMS. The findings suggest that cytogenetic abnormalities of chromosome 6 may be associated with the development of early onset multiple ARMS in a subgroup of pediatric patients as seen in this case.