Childhood Rhabdomyosarcoma

Expert-reviewed information summary about the treatment of childhood rhabdomyosarcoma.Childhood Rhabdomyosarcoma (PDQ®): TreatmentChildhood Rhabdomyosarcoma Treatment

General Information About Childhood Rhabdomyosarcoma

Childhood rhabdomyosarcoma is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in muscle tissue.

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a type of sarcoma. Sarcoma is cancer of soft tissue (such as muscle), connective tissue (such as tendon or cartilage), and bone. Rhabdomyosarcoma usually begins in muscles that are attached to bones and that help the body move. Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common type of sarcoma found in the soft tissues of children. It can occur in many places in the body.

There are three main types of rhabodomyosarcoma:


Embryonal: This type occurs most often in the head and neck area or in the genital or urinary organs. It is the most common type.
Alveolar: This type occurs most often in the arms or legs, chest, abdomen, or genital or anal areas. It usually occurs during the teen years.
Anaplastic: This type rarely occurs in children.

See the following PDQ treatment summaries for more information about sarcomas:


Childhood Soft Tissue Sarcoma
Ewing Family of Tumors
Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma



Certain genetic conditions increase the risk of childhood rhabdomyosarcoma.

Anything that increases the risk of getting a disease is called a risk factor. Having a risk factor does not mean that you will get cancer; not having risk factors doesn’t mean that you will not get cancer. Parents who think their child may be at risk should discuss this with the child's doctor. Risk factors for rhabdomyosarcoma include having the following inherited diseases:


Li-Fraumeni syndrome.
Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1).
Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome.
Costello syndrome.

In most cases, the cause of rhabdomyosarcoma is not known.