Building the bridge between rhabdomyosarcoma in children, adolescents and young adults: The road ahead

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a rare type of soft tissue sarcoma that mainly affects children, but also occurs in adolescents and (young) adults (AYA). Despite dramatic survival improvements reported by international study groups in children over the past decades, the awareness of a dismal outcome for older patients with RMS has grown. In contrast to the world-wide organization of care for children with RMS, standard care in adults lags behind. A step forward in RMS management for patients of all ages is urgently needed. Both paediatric oncologists and medical oncologists are essential players in development of a concept of RMS care, but bringing two worlds together seems not so easy. This review provides an overview which highlights the similarities and differences in children and adults with RMS. Furthermore, it comes up with a novel concept to overcome the virtual gap between the treatment approach of children and AYA with RMS.

► Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) mainly affects children, but also adolescents and (young) adults (AYA). ► As compared to children improvement in survival in AYA lags behind. ► AYA with RMS should be treated in studies whenever available. ► This review provides an overview of RMS at different ages. ► We propose age-independent global collaboration for treatment of RMS.