What is it?
Sarcomas are rare and affect the supporting tissues of the body such as bone and soft tissue (i.e. muscle or cartilage)
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) develops in muscle or fibrous tissue. It can occur in any part of the body, but is more frequent around the head and neck, the bladder, testes, womb or vagina.
Occasionally, tumours may be found in a muscle or a limb in the chest, or the abdominal wall. Sometimes they occur in the head or the neck can spread to the brain or spinal cord.
Treatment will depend on many factors but is likely to include a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Who does it affect?
Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common form of soft tissue sarcoma in children. It affects around 60 of the 100 children diagnosed with soft tissue sarcomas each year in the UK.
This type of cancer mostly affects those under the age of ten years and is more prevalent in boys.
Find out more
You can read more about the types of Rhabdomyosarcoma and it’s treatment.