Oral epithelioid rhabdomyosarcoma: Report of a rare case and literature review of a distinct variant of rhabdomyosarcoma

Abstract

Epithelioid rhabdomyosarcoma is a new and rare morphological variant of rhabdomyosarcoma, with only a few reports in the literature. We aimed to describe an atypical case of this variant involving the oral cavity. A 33-year-old male patient presented with an asymptomatic, gingival mass adjacent to the left maxillary canine with progressive growth over approximately 3 months. Microscopic and immunohistochemical assessment of the biopsy specimen were consistent with epithelioid rhabdomyosarcoma. After initial chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the patient had a partial response. Surgical resection was performed, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. After local and distant recurrences, the patient died 22 months after the initial diagnosis. According to the literature, epithelioid rhabdomyosarcoma still lacks data regarding its aetiologic factors and therapeutic options. Whether this tumour is a true subtype or simply a variant of other subtypes of rhabdomyosarcoma also remains unconfirmed. Final diagnosis leads to a broad array of microscopic and immunohistochemical analyses.

Keywords: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase; Epithelioid cells; Gingiva; Mouth; Rhabdomyosarcoma.