Radiotherapy and adjuvant combination chemotherapy for childhood rhabdomyosarcoma.

The treatment of children with rhabdomyosarcoma by a combination of surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy has resulted in an improved disease-free survival time. Of 11 children with regional disease eight (72%) remained well, with no evidence of disease, four to 36 months after diagnosis. Chemotherapy for one year with vincristine, actinomycin D, and cyclophosphamide was well tolerated during and after radical radiotherapy and surgery. The natural history of this malignancy has been altered in these patients when compared with that in a historical group of 17 children, only two of whom remain alive. There has been no serious short-term toxicity so far.