Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the tongue in old age

Rhabdomyosarcoma represents the most common soft tissue sarcoma of patients under 15 years of age, but it is definitely rare in subjects older than 45. A very rare case of embryonal type rhabdomyosarcoma of the tongue in a 65-year-old man is reported. The adult patient was treated with surgery and post-operative adjuvant radiotherapy and is disease-free at 48 months of follow-up. TUNEL analysis showed that apoptosis was present in 10% of the cells, thus suggesting that an high number of apoptotic cells may represent an indicator of good prognosis for this malignancy. © 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.