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A Case of Mistaken Identity: The Importance of Recognizing Red Flag Symptoms Amandeep Bains Hiba Chaudhry Anusha Hennedige Mazhar Iqbal Dental Update 2024 49:4, 707-709.
Authors
AmandeepBains
BDS(Hons), MFDS RCPS(Glasg)
Dental Core Trainee 2, University Hospital of South Manchester, Manchester Foundation Trust
Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common paediatric soft tissue sarcoma. They comprise 40% of soft tissue sarcomas in children and adolescents. The overall 5-year survival rate in childhood is 71% with a worsening prognosis during infancy. The survival rate for children diagnosed at 10–14 years is 50%. The case of a 10-year-old female is presented to highlight the importance of awareness of atypical presentations of swellings. This report presents a case where a facial swelling was originally believed to be an odontogenic-related infection, but revealed to be a rhabdomyosarcoma.
CPD/Clinical Relevance: The importance of a thorough history, examination and the recognition of salient features to ensure appropriate referral and adequate treatment without delay are highlighted.
Article
A rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a malignant neoplasm and is the most common paediatric soft tissue sarcoma.1 Soft tissue sarcomas comprise 7% of all malignancies in children and adolescents, with 40% of these being RMS. The incidence of RMS is 4.5 cases per million per year. Tumours are typically associated with skeletal muscle lineage, and half of cases occur in the first decade of life.3 The most common site of presentation is the head and neck, followed by the genitourinary system.4
Dental practitioners frequently encounter cases of children with facial swelling and pain. In most of these cases, dental abscess is considered the cause, and treatment is prescribed accordingly. However, in a minority of cases, the presentation, albeit like an odontogenic infection, could in fact be something more sinister, and dental practitioners need to be vigilant about looking out for red flags. Prompt management is essential to increase chances of survival. Taken together, we can conclude that in children, any swelling should be carefully examined and treatment outcomes should be regularly followed up. Rarely, these swellings may have a more sinister underlying pathology and clinicians need to be alert in looking out for these cases to increase chances of survival. High degree of suspicion, early diagnosis and a multidisciplinary treatment approach is of great importance in such cases.
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