Clinical research on the treatment effects of radioactive (125)I seeds interstitial brachytherapy on children with primary orbital rhabdomyosarcoma.

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is one of the most common primary orbital malignancies. However, orbital RMS is a very rare disease, especially in childhood, and the tumor has a high degree of malignancy and rapid development. The objective of the present study was to investigate the clinical treatment effects of radioactive (125)I seeds interstitial brachytherapy on children with primary orbital RMS, which may provide a new method for treating RMS in clinical applications. Radioactive (125)I seeds were used in the present study. Primary lesions from ten children with orbital RMS, including three male and seven female patients, were selected as the targeted areas. The activity, number and spatial location of the seeds were optimized and simulated by applying computer three-dimensional treatment planning system (TPS) software. The interstitial implantation of the radioactive (125)I seeds was conducted on children under general anesthesia according to the TPS simulation results. Quality verifications of the operation were conducted by orbital computed tomography and X-ray plain film at the early stage after operation, and the children were followed up. The patients were followed up by October 2012 with an average follow-up time of 57 ± 17.43 months and a median follow-up time of 55 months. Nine cases achieved complete remission, and one case achieved partial remission, resulting in a total efficiency and survival rate of 100.0 % (10/10). Most patients recovered after treatment or had no radiotherapy side effect after the operations, though 20.0 % of the patients (2/10) experienced corneal opacity, eyeball movement disorder, or loss of sight. Radioactive (125)I seeds interstitial brachytherapy was an effective treatment for children with primary orbital RMS. Results from this study may provide a new clinical approach for the treatment of child patients with primary orbital RMS.