Rhabdomyosarcoma of the biliary tract in a child: a case report

TL;DR

A 2-year-old child was diagnosed with rare biliary tract rhabdomyosarcoma after initial misdiagnosis and successfully treated with surgery and chemotherapy.

Contribution

Highlights ERCP as the optimal diagnostic tool and effective treatment with surgery and chemotherapy for pediatric biliary tract rhabdomyosarcoma.

Findings

ERCP confirmed the diagnosis of biliary tract rhabdomyosarcoma in a 2-year-old child.

Surgery followed by chemotherapy led to successful treatment of the patient.

Early symptoms and imaging challenges make clinical awareness of this condition crucial.

Abstract

Pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma of the biliary tract (BRMS) is extremely rare. Here, we present a case of a 2-year-old child who was initially misdiagnosed with choledocholithiasis upon admission. The diagnosis was later confirmed as BRMS through endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). The patient was cured through surgery followed by chemotherapy. Due to the lack of specific early symptoms and the challenges in imaging differentiation, particularly in pediatric patients, clinical awareness of this condition needs to be heightened. Our findings indicate that ERCP is currently the optimal diagnostic tool for this disease, and a combination of surgery and chemotherapy can yield better therapeutic outcomes.

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