An Atypical Presentation of Rhabdomyosarcoma

• Main Authors: Mariana Morgado, Maria João Palaré, Luísa Lobo, Miroslava Gonçalves
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Portuguesa de Pediatria 2020-10-01
• Series: Portuguese Journal of Pediatrics
• Online Access: https://pjp.spp.pt//article/view/18944

Thromboembolism is infrequent in children, nonetheless, whenever malignancy is present, there is an increased risk, around 7% to 25%. Rhabdomyosarcomas are typically asymptomatic masses, but patients can become symptomatic due to mass overgrowth and compression of surrounding structures, therefore presentation might be as a thromboembolic event. Sarcomas have recognized risk factors including large tumour masses, intensive chemotherapy, radiation therapy, extensive surgery and associated limited mobility. Whenever a thromboembolic event presents without a reliable aetiology and with no response to conventional treatment, an underlying malignancy should be excluded. In this context, we present a six-year-old boy who presented with a persistent symptomatic deep venous thrombosis of the inferior limb, despite anticoagulation and, in the subsequent investigation, a retroperitoneal rhabdomyosarcoma was diagnosed. In the light of this case, a brief review of the literature review is presented.