preview

Rhabdomyosarcoma Essay

Decent Essays

Recently we have been studying genetic disorders. We were given the opportunity to choose what genetic disorder that we wanted to learn more about by writing a paper about the disorder. The topic at hand is one that hits close to home to everyone at Milford High School. In a recent, disappointing, and discouraging loss, Milford lost one of its own members of its student body to this serious disorder. Rhabdomyosarcoma is a soft-tissue cancer that grows in the muscle cells of young adolescents. The disorder is a disease in which malignant cells begin growing in muscle tissue. Rhabdomyosarcoma is a type of a sarcoma, which means a cancer of the bone, soft tissues, or connective tissue (e.g., tendon or …show more content…

Several tests can be run once symptoms are noticed to earmark the disease with a proper diagnosis. Some of the tests include; a biopsy of the tumor, X-rays, a CT scan, a skeletal survey, bone scans or bone marrow aspiration (fluid sample) and biopsy (tissue sample). Once diagnosed, the treatments begin to hinder any advancement the cancer would or could make. Possibly removing the cancer completely through surgery is a possibility, while others include chemotherapy, radiation treatment, and bone marrow transplantation. Many times these treatments can be used concurrently with one another.
“In the Rhabdomyosarcoma (268210) cell line TE125.5, Schwienbacher et.al (1988) found a G-to-A transition at nucleotide 688 that introduced an arginine in place of a cysteine in the product of the BWR1A gene. The change was present in a homozygous state, suggesting that loss of the normal allele occurred during the tumorigenic conversion.” (John Hopkins University, 1998.) A number sign (#) is used with this entry because of evidence that Rhabdomyosarcoma, which maps to 11p15.5, is caused by mutation in the Beckwith-Wiedemann region 1A gene.
Screening tests are only available through biopsies. This means that basically once symptoms arise, one would be able to go and get a prognosis as to whether or not they have this disease.
Genetic

Get Access