Treatment of spinal rhabdomyosarcoma in adults: A case report and literature review of current evidence

Spinal rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a rare yet highly malignant tumor in adults. Literature on this entity is lacking and no mature treatment guideline is currently available. The treatment arsenals include surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, being used singly or jointly. However, the prognosis is dismal, with a mean overall survival period of 10 months. Thus, any case of this disease with encouraging outcomes shall be shared. A case of a middle-aged female patient with spinal RMS was presented in the current report. The patient suffered from back pain but was neurologically intact. The patient underwent a total en-bloc spondylectomy of the T11-L2 vertebrae and spinal reconstruction with 3D-printed prosthetic vertebrae. Afterwards, the patient received a rigid schedule of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and chemotherapy. To date, the patient has survived for 40 months, with the preservation of neurological function and sustained mitigation of local pain after the operation. The patient suffered subcutaneous colonization of tumor cells and pulmonary metastasis 10 months postoperatively, but obtained a long locoregional control of 19 months. In conclusion, total en-bloc lesion resection is indicated for the treatment of isolated, primary spinal RMS in adults. Some authors reported that the usage of new surgical tools and instruments has facilitated surgery, which was previously invasive and technically challenging. Advanced radiotherapy techniques, such as SBRT, which were proven effective for local lesion control, should be implemented early after the operation. Chemotherapy remains the mainstay of treatment, but further research and evidence for the efficacy of regimens specifically for adults are required.