Oropharyngeal rhabdomyosarcoma with cranial nerve paralysis in a limited resource setting: a case report and review of literature

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), a tumor of skeletal muscle origin, is the most common soft tissue sarcoma encountered in childhood and adolescence; it is primarily found in the head and neck region, it is relatively uncommon tumors of the oral cavity. Clinical signs depend on the exact location of the lesion in the oral cavity and its development. Authors reported the case of a 14-year-old patient who presented an oropharyngeal mass causing voice dysfunction, after two surgical operation the patient experimented two 2 recurrences of the lesion. The histopathological examination objectifies an oropharyngeal rhabdomyosarcoma. Immediate postoperative outcome was uneventful with improvement in the voice dysfunction and dysphagia one month after surgery. Complementary treatment (chemotherapy and radiotherapy) was not available and accessible to the patient. Twenty months (20) after surgery, the examination found a recurrence of the tumor with pulmonary metastases and neurological complications. Oropharyngeal rhabdomyosarcomas are rare. Their interest lies in the fact that they often affect children and adolescents. The prognosis remains unfavorable in our context, even for cases accessible to surgery since complementary treatment with chemotherapy and / or radiotherapy does not exist. The prognosis depends on tumor size, location, staging, age of patients and especially the quality of the management.