Orbital rhabdomyosarcoma: A case series

Orbital rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common orbital malignancy of childhood with the common presentation of rapidly evolving unilateral proptosis. We studied six patients who were diagnosed and treated for rhabdomyosarcoma between January 1999 and June 2004. The age of the patients ranged from 4 to 29 years. Four patients presented with acute onset proptosis associated with signs of inflammation, mimicking orbital cellulitis. One patient presented with lid mass. Another patient presented with a soft, blind eye that was pushed superotemporally by a large inflammed, vascularised mass. Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma was the commonest histopathological type in our series found in five patients. One patient was completely cured with chemotherapy alone whereas two patients were treated with a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Three patients in our series required exenteration.