[Prognostic factors in rhabdomyosarcomas in childhood. Study carried out with 253 children registered by the International Society of Pediatric Oncology].

Two hundred and fifty three children with newly diagnosed nonmetastatic rhabdomyosarcoma, from 30 European centers, were registered by the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) between 1975 and 1982, and received a VAC-VAD chemotherapy. Multivariate statistical methods were used to study prognosis. The most important predictors for survival time were as follows: primary site (P less than 0.001), clinical stage (P = 0.02), and sex (P = 0.03). Three primary sites had a favourable prognosis (vagina, paratestis, orbit) as opposed to the most unfavorable ones (parameningeal head and neck sites). Clinical state I had better survival curves than stages II and III. Males had a better prognosis than females, regardless of stage and primary site. The analysis of the evolutive modes of the tumour showed that the lack of local control (no complete remission, local recurrence) was the first reason of failure.