Congenital embryonal orbital rhabdomyosarcoma in a newborn.

Abstract

THERE have been approximately 100 cases of orbital rhabdomyosarcoma reported in the literature and Porterfield and Zimmerman state that rhabdomyosarcoma is probably the most common primary orbital malignancy in childhood.¹However, it is extremely rare for a child to have this at birth as evidenced by the fact that there have been only six primary congenital orbital sarcomas of any type reported. In 1962 one alveolar-type of rhabdomyosarcoma and one embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma were reported by Porterfield and Zimmerman,¹and in 1964 an undifferentiated orbital sarcoma was reported by Mendelblatt and Renpenning.²Three other cases were reported as "round cell" sarcomas in 1878, 1920, and 1938. This is a report of the seventh case of primary congenital orbital sarcoma of any type, and only the second reported case of congenital embryonal orbital rhabdomyosarcoma present at birth. <h3>Report of a Case</h3> The patient was a Negro boy, born three