Adult omental alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma: An unusual site. A case report and literature review

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Omental alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS) in adults is a rare tumor and is not a common presentation of abdominal pain. We aim to report the eighth case of omental ARMS and perform a review of all publications that pertains to this topic. CASE PRESENTATION: we show a case of a Mediterranean 52 year old smoker male, complaining of unbearable dull pain in the right iliac fossa. He had no relevant medical history other than general abdominal pain in the past several months. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: the chief complaint was abdominal pain mimicking appendicitis. Physical examination showed a palpable mass in that region. Ultrasound and CT scan revealed a mass arising from the omentum. At this point we excluded the diagnosis of appendicitis and a laparotomy with biopsies sampling had been performed. The microscopical examination led to the diagnosis of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS). Treatment involved multidisciplinary care but the patient died during chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: Adult rhabdomyosarcomas (RMS) are rare tumors that can arise from any soft tissue including omentum and should be taken into consideration when dealing with primary tumors that originate from the omental area. The studies and our understanding for this neoplasm are still very limited and should be expanded widely.