Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma with massive infiltration of the bone marrow as its initial manifestation

We report a case of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (AR) with massive infiltration of bone marrow at presentation, and initial diagnosis in bone marrow aspirate. A 35 year old man presented with a submandibular mass, and hematomas after mild traumatisms. Peripheral blood showed thrombocytopenia and a norm...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSangre (Zaragoza) Vol. 43; no. 3; p. 236
Main Authors Pérez del Río, M J, Fresno Forcelledo, M F, Ramírez Páyer, A, Ablanedo Ablanedo, P, Luño Fernández, E, Fanjul Colunga, E, Herrero Zapatero, A
Format Journal Article
LanguageSpanish
Published Spain 01.06.1998
Subjects
Adult
Anemia - etiology
Bone Marrow - pathology
Disease Progression
Fatal Outcome
Hemorrhagic Disorders - etiology
Humans
Lymph Nodes - pathology
Male
Neoplasms, Unknown Primary - blood
Neoplasms, Unknown Primary - diagnosis
Neoplasms, Unknown Primary - pathology
Pharynx - pathology
Rhabdomyosarcoma, Alveolar - blood supply
Rhabdomyosarcoma, Alveolar - complications
Rhabdomyosarcoma, Alveolar - diagnosis
Rhabdomyosarcoma, Alveolar - etiology
Rhabdomyosarcoma, Alveolar - pathology
Rhabdomyosarcoma, Alveolar - therapy
Thrombocytopenia - etiology
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Summary:We report a case of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (AR) with massive infiltration of bone marrow at presentation, and initial diagnosis in bone marrow aspirate. A 35 year old man presented with a submandibular mass, and hematomas after mild traumatisms. Peripheral blood showed thrombocytopenia and a normocytic anaemia. Bone marrow film showed diffuse involvement by undifferentiated blasts with rhabdomyoblastic features. Subsequent biopsy of submandibular lymph node confirmed the diagnosis with positivity for specific muscle actin and desmin, and negativity for lymphoid markers. Initial presentation of AR with extensive bone marrow involvement is extremely rare, and it could lead to wrong diagnosis and treatment of acute leukaemia, with the serious consequences that this would have. Immunohistochemical study and morphologic differential features can be of great diagnostic help.
ISSN:0036-4355