Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the temporal bone

Abstract. The most common soft-tissue sarcoma in infants and children is rhabdomyosarcoma. The head and neck is the most common site of involvement; temporal bone involvement has been seen in about 7% of reported cases. Multimodality therapy-surgery, multiagent chemotherapy, and radiotherapy-yields sufficiently good results. The author reports a case of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the temporal bone with cranial nerve palsies and extension into the parapharyngeal space in a 4-year-old boy.