Successful treatment of synchronous chemoresistant pulmonary metastasis from pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma with stereotaxic body radiation therapy: A case report and a review of the literature.

BACKGROUND

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a highly malignant soft tissue sarcoma (STS), usually of adults, displaying skeletal muscle differentiation. STS principally metastasize to the lungs with more than 50% of metastatic patients presenting with isolated pulmonary metastasis. Paradoxically, the majority of drugs prescribed to treat RMS are associated with multidrug resistance.

CASE REPORT

We report the case of a 53 year-old patient who developed three synchronous chemoresistant lung metastasis from pleomorphic RMS. Considering the poor prognosis, the patient's preference and the chemoresistance of her lung metastasis, we decided to perform two consecutive stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) on two of these three lesions.

DISCUSSION

Initially, the patient was referred to our institute with a painful mass in the anterior part of the left thigh increasing in volume for 3 months. Biopsy revealed a high-grade pleomorphic RMS. The cancer being staged IB, she had neoadjuvant radiotherapy. After complete surgical excision, pathology examination revealed a 6 cm Grade II pleomorphic RMS, with clear margins. Six months later, she developed three synchronous lung metastases. She got 4 courses of doxorubicin-ifosfamide which were poorly supported. After two courses, a heterogeneous (morphological and metabolic) response was observed, hence SBRT was delivered with a Biologically Equivalent Dose (α/β10)> 100 Gray on the two more chemoresistant lesions. This SBRT was very well tolerated, no side effects were reported. The patient remained alive and achieved a complete response of these three metastases, which sustains after more than 3 years.

CONCLUSION

Early recognition and proper management of these oligometastatic patients may lead to motivating results in a poor prognosis disease.