Treatment of childhood rhabdomyosarcoma at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 1962--78.

Between March 1962 and December 1978, 153 children with rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) received treatment at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. As of January 1979, 62 of these patients were still alive. Between 1962 and 1968, 20 patients were not treated by protocol, and, between 1968 and 1979, another 13 have been registered as "nonprotocol"; 6 of these 33 patients survive. Since 1968, 120 patients received treatment by 3 stage-related, multiple-modality programs. In the first protocol, chemotherapy consisted of vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and dactinomycin; 14 of 34 patients have survived after 6 to more than 10 years. In the second treatment program, which used adriamycin in addition to the 3 drugs cited above, 20 of 56 subjects remain free of disease after more than 2 to 5.5 years; toxicity of the multiple agents given in combination with radiotherapy proved intolerable and led to a modified 4-agent protocol for patients admitted since early 1977. Of 30 in this latter group, 22 are alive. Forty of 44 patients who remained free of RMS for more than 2 years continue to survive.