Pediatric Nasopharyngeal Rhabdomyosarcoma: About a Case and Review of Literature

Introduction: Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue tumor in children, with the head and neck location accounting for up to 40% of cases. The embryonal and alveolar histologic variants are more commonly seen in pediatric patients. The treatment is multimodal and the prognosis of this clinical entity is always gloomy. We report the case of nasopharyngeal rhabdomyosarcoma in a 7-year-old boy child with a good response to early post-therapy. Case Presentation: The patient was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal RMS revealed by a congested nose, ptosis and bilateral blindness, and who received induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent radiotherapy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. The evolution is marked by a good clinical course but persistence of bilateral blindness. Conclusion: The RMS nasopharyngeal often presents with nonspecific symptoms. Multimodal therapy should be performed including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Chordoma Sociodemographic, Clinical and Therapeutic Aspects in National Institute of Oncology Rabat Morocco: A Report of 9 Cases

Introduction: Chordoma is a rare bone tumor, which develops mainly from the sacrum, the base of the skull, or the spine. Surgery + radiotherapy (if necessary) is the standard treatment. Data on chordoma are scarce in this region, and thus, here we summarized 9 patients with this tumor whom we treated in this institute. Material: Nine chordoma patients were summarized, who were treated in National Institute of Oncology in Rabat between 2013 and 2018. We retrieved data from medical charts and analyzed the clinical characteristics of this tumor. Results: The average age was 49 years (range: 29 - 72), with male: female of 3:6. The manifestation-diagnosis time was 4 months (range: 2 - 14). Regarding the tumor location, lumbosacral spine;5, the skull;4. Mass was evident in 6. Signs of locoregional compressions (paraparesis or tetraparesis) were observed in 3. As for treatment, a partial tumor excision was performed in 8, with 3 patients undergoing a wide excision. Radiotherapy was done;3 patients with a dose of 46 Gy, 3 patients with 66 Gy, 1 patient with 50 Gy, and 1 patient with a 16 Gy gamma radio-knife in a single session. 4 patients with a dose of 46 Gy, 2 patients with 60 Gy, and 1 patient with a 16 Gy gamma radio-knife in a single session. Of 9, 4 patients had good locoregional control whereas 5 patients had local recurrence. Conclusion: Chordoma is a predominantly local aggressive tumor with low metastatic potential. The surgical excision remains the main prognostic factor. Advances in radiotherapy may improve local control. These data are of use in management of this tumor in Rabat (Morocco).