What Is Childhood Rhabdomyosarcoma?
Rhabdomyosarcoma is a form of cancer that begins in the muscle tissue. Cells that resemble the rhabdomyoblasts (the cells that develop into voluntary or skeletal muscles of the body) of a fetus (baby still in the womb) begin to grow and divide abnormally. This cancer begins in the soft tissues in a type of muscle called striated muscle and can occur anywhere in the body. Eighty-five percent of all cases of rhabdomyosarcoma occur in children and young adults under the age of 25. It very rarely occurs in older adults. It is also the most common type of sarcoma to be found in the soft tissues of children.
