ANDREW'S AVENGERS

About Rhabdomyosarcoma Cancer

Approximately 354 children are diagnosed with Rhabdomyoscarcoma each year.  It is a rare childhood cancer in which cancer cells form in the muscle tissue.  It usually begins in muscles that are attached to bones.  We are not entirely certain where Andrew’s Rhabdomyoscarcoma (embryonal substype) started, but we will learn more by its response to our attack from the various chemotherapy medicines. 

While the chances of developing this cancer increases when certain genetic risk factors are present, Andrew has none of these factors.  This is consistent with the finding that in most cases, the causes of rhabdomyosarcoma remain unknown.  The first signs of any sarcoma can be a lump or swelling that gets bigger or just doesn’t go away.  In Andrew’s case, he had lumps and hematoma from the accident that masked that the cancer’s presence.  It’s important to do everything possible not only to fight the cancer but to keep it from coming back or starting in other places.