Chest rhabdomyosarcoma revealed by pleural effusion in a child

Abstract

We report a rare case of primary thoracic rhabdomyosarcoma in a boy who was referred with progressive breathlessness and fever. A chest X-ray revealed a massive pleural effusion of the right hemithorax. Chest ultrasound revealed a right-sided pleural effusion and a right costo-vertebral solid mass, suggesting a neoplastic disease. The biopsy specimen showed a pattern of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma.