[Brachytherapy in the treatment of vesicoprostatic rhabdomyosarcomas in children].

Brachytherapy has been widely used at the Institut Gustave-Roussy since 1972 in pediatric oncology. In genitourinary rhabdomyosarcoma, because of its ballistic and physical characteristics, it represents the optimal treatment whenever irradiation is required and brachytherapy feasible. Between 1976 and 1998, 23 children with bladder or prostate rhabdomyosarcoma were treated with a protocol including brachytherapy, with five of them treated with a salvage brachytherapy. All but one brachytherapy was performed during the surgery. Among the 18 brachytherapies performed as a first-line treatment, eight presented a tumoral evolution: five presented a local evolution, one a local and nodal evolution and two a nodal evolution. Brachytherapy allowed a conservative treatment among ten out of 11 children alive with no evidence of disease. Among the five patients with salvage brachytherapy, two presented a second recurrence. Sequelae were minimal, consisting of one grade I rectitis and one asymptomatic vesical and ureteral reflux. These results are consistent with the published data using more radical treatment. Brachytherapy can represent an alternative to radical surgery, when indications are clearly defined in bladder or prostate rhabdomyosarcoma. This type of treatment can be performed only integrated with other treatments, more particularly with surgery. This approach requires a close cooperation between the different specialists: pediatricians, surgeons and brachytherapists.