Dental and craniofacial alterations in long-term survivors of childhood head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma

Publication date: Available online 21 December 2018

Source: Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology

Author(s): Valkiria D'Aiuto de Mattos, Sima Ferman, Denise Maria Araújo Magalhães, Héliton Spíndola Antunes, Simone Queiroz Chaves Lourenço

Summary

Background

Rhabdomyosarcomas (RMS) represent the most common soft tissue sarcoma to affect children. Treatment involves chemoradiotherapy. This study aimed at evaluating long-term alterations to teeth and cranial bones in children, teenagers and young adults after oncological treatment.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study submitted to treatment of head and neck RMS between 1988 and 2011. We evaluated demographic, clinical and treatment data and performed panoramic radiographies, cephalometry and photography.

Results

We evaluated 27 long-term survivors patients, most of whom were treated between the ages of 0 to 5 years (51.9%). Total radiation dose applied was 50.4Gy and the chemotherapy combination included vincristine, actinomycin D and cyclophosphamide in 51.9% of the cases. We observed 603 dental alterations, among which 377 (62.7%) occurred in patients between the ages of 0 to 5 years, and root shortening was the most frequent (24.2%). Regarding facial bones, 74.0% of the patients had some level of facial asymmetry, 70.4% had reduced facial depth, 48.4% had mandibles with short size, and 77.8% had reduced facial height.

Conclusion

Children submitted to rhabdomyosarcoma treatment involving chemotherapy and radiotherapy displayed significant dental and craniofacial alterations, especially when treatment occurred between the ages of 0 and 5 years.

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