Spatially fractionated (GRID) radiotherapy in a patient with metastatic pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma: a case report
Abstract
Adult pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma is an exceedingly rare, aggressive, high-grade soft tissue sarcoma with a poor prognosis. Treatment for metastatic pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma typically involves a combination of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgical resection, though optimal treatment strategies remain undefined. We present here a case of a 52-year-old otherwise healthy male who was diagnosed with metastatic pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma with a rapidly progressive, bulky, and symptomatic left upper back tumor. He was treated with multi-line systemic chemotherapy, spatially fractionated (GRID) radiotherapy to his primary back tumor, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) to his metastatic lung nodule, and long-term maintenance pazopanib, achieving a durable partial response followed by sustained disease control exceeding four years. Adult pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma remains a difficult cancer to treat, and more research is needed to better understand its disease course and optimal treatment regimens. This case highlights the potential role of GRID radiotherapy as a component of treatment for bulky, unresectable tumors and underscores the need for further investigation of this modality in aggressive soft tissue sarcomas.
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BibTeX
@article{zhang2026spatially,
title = {{Spatially fractionated (GRID) radiotherapy in a patient with metastatic pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma: a case report}},
author = {Jessica Zhang and Fahad Faruqi and Yuri Velichko and Borislav Alexiev and Lacey Durham and Pedro Hermida de Viveiros and Seth M. Pollack and Vinai Gondi},
journal = {Frontiers in Oncology},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3389/fonc.2026.1931079},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2026.1931079},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Spatially fractionated (GRID) radiotherapy in a patient with metastatic pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma: a case report
AU - Jessica Zhang
AU - Fahad Faruqi
AU - Yuri Velichko
AU - Borislav Alexiev
AU - Lacey Durham
AU - Pedro Hermida de Viveiros
AU - Seth M. Pollack
AU - Vinai Gondi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/05
JO - Frontiers in Oncology
DO - 10.3389/fonc.2026.1931079
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2026.1931079
AB - Adult pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma is an exceedingly rare, aggressive, high-grade soft tissue sarcoma with a poor prognosis. Treatment for metastatic pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma typically involves a combination of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgical resection, though optimal treatment strategies remain undefined. We present here a case of a 52-year-old otherwise healthy male who was diagnosed with metastatic pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma with a rapidly progressive, bulky, and symptomatic left upper back tumor. He was treated with multi-line systemic chemotherapy, spatially fractionated (GRID) radiotherapy to his primary back tumor, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) to his metastatic lung nodule, and long-term maintenance pazopanib, achieving a durable partial response followed by sustained disease control exceeding four years. Adult pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma remains a difficult cancer to treat, and more research is needed to better understand its disease course and optimal treatment regimens. This case highlights the potential role of GRID radiotherapy as a component of treatment for bulky, unresectable tumors and underscores the need for further investigation of this modality in aggressive soft tissue sarcomas.
SN - 2234-943X
ER -