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Primary Treatments for Rhabdomysarcoma

Most oncologist will suggest surgery if the tumour is in a operable location and is deemed operable. Note: some tumor locations and stages cannot be operated on due to tumor location, health of patient, or other factors.

Chemotherapy is the number one recommended treatment for Rhabdomysarcoma. This usually consists of a combination of 3 chemo drugs together. The most common chemotherapy regimen for rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) in Canada is VAC, which combines vincristine, dactinomycin (actinomycin-D), and cyclophosphamide. In other countries such as Europe IVA or IVADO are the standard recommended. These combinations are frequently used for both localized and high-risk metastatic cases. Other agents including Doxorubicin, irinotecan, topotecan, and ifosfamide are also common.  

The most common radiation therapies for rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) are advanced external beam techniques, specifically Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and Proton Beam Therapy, which are used to deliver high doses (typically 36–55 Gy) to the tumor while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.