Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma with regional nodal involvement: Results of a combined analysis from two cooperative groups

Gallego S, Chi YY, De Salvo GL, Li M, Merks JHM, Rodeberg DA, van Scheltinga ST, Mascarenhas L, Orbach D, Jenney M, Million L, Minard-Colin V, Wolden S, Zanetti I, Parham DM, Mandeville H, Venkatramani R, Bisogno G, Hawkins DS. Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma with regional nodal involvement: Results of a combined analysis from two cooperative groups. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2021 Mar;68(3):e28832. doi: 10.1002/pbc.28832. Epub 2020 Nov 27. PubMed PMID: 33245207; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8414760.

Treatment of children and adolescents with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS) and regional nodal involvement (N1) have been approached differently by North American and European cooperative groups. In order to define the better therapeutic strategy, we analyzed two studies conducted between 2005 and 2016 by the European paediatric Soft tissue sarcoma Study Group (EpSSG) and Children’s Oncology Group (COG). We retrospectively identified patients with ARMS-N1 enrolled in either EpSSG RMS2005 or in COG ARST0531. Chemotherapy in RMS2005 comprised IVADo (ifosfamide, vincristine, dactinomycin, doxorubicin), IVA and maintenance (vinorelbine, cyclophosphamide); in ARST0531 it consisted on either VAC (vincristine, dactinomycin, cyclophosphamide) or VAC alternating with VI (vincristine, irinotecan). Local treatment was similar in both protocols.