What is Rhabdomyosarcoma?
- A 17-year-old girl is using her cancer experience to help others, something she didn't have when she was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma.
- Rhabdomyosarcoma, also known as RMS, is a rare type of sarcoma (soft tissue cancer) that occurs most commonly in children.
- When a child is diagnosed with cancer, the entire family is affected something Deanna Bayless can surely attest to.
"I'm thinking about doing a podcast," Emily Bayless tells The Ledger, a daily newspaper serving Lakeland, Fla., and the Polk County area.
Read MoreUTI Turns Out to be a Sign of Cancer
Bayless was just 18 months old when she was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma in mid-December 2005. She had six weeks of radiation and 52 weeks of chemotherapy in order to rid her body of the cancer. But those treatments have affected her bones; she even gave up soccer after developing back pain. "I do think about my cancer because the cancer is still in my life," she says. "Not the cancer itself, but the symptoms. It's obviously part of my story. Whenever I think about my life, my future, it relates to my cancer. It makes life seem so much more valuable."
Since Bayless was just a baby when she was diagnosed with cancer, she doesn't remember much. However, her parents remember it all. Her mother, Deanna Bayless, tells of her infant daughter's interesting symptoms that led to her diagnosis, including a persistent urinary tract infection.
"She had a UTI that would not go away," Deanna Bayless says. "It was a blessing, looking back," she adds, since rhabdomyosarcoma often isn't discovered in its early stage, like in her daughter's case.
What is Rhabdomyosarcoma?
Rhabdomyosarcoma, also known as RMS, is a rare type of sarcoma (soft tissue cancer) that occurs most commonly in children. According to the American Cancer Society, sarcomas are cancers that develop in bones and soft tissues like muscles, fat, the linings of joints or blood vessels.
There are many types of sarcomas, and RMS specifically is made up of cells that normally develop into the muscles we use to move our bodies around. Before they fully develop, the cells that will form these muscles are called rhabdomyoblasts, and they're the cells that can become RMS. Though RMS can occur in adults, it's more common in children because it's connected to these early forms of muscle cells.
When adults do develop RMS, they generally have faster growing types of the disease that occur in harder-to-treat parts of the body. Common RMS sites are the head and neck, urinary and reproductive organs, arms and legs, and the chest and abdomen.
There are two main types of RMS: embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS) and alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS).
ERMS is most common in children under 5 years old, but it can occur at older ages, according to ACS. While it's unknown what type of RMS Emily was diagnosed with, it was most likely ERMS, as she was only 18 months old at the time of her diagnosis. ERMS is typically focused in the head and neck area, or near the urinary and reproductive organs like in Emily's case.
ARMS, on the other hand, does not have a typical age group. ARMS grows quickly and often demands intense treatment.
How a Childhood Cancer Diagnosis Can Affect the Family Unit
When a child is diagnosed with cancer, the entire family is affected something Deanna Bayless can surely attest to.
Jayne Wexler is a New York City-based photographer whose son Justice is a childhood cancer survivor. Justice was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia; he spent many of his younger years going through cancer treatment, but now, as a side effect of the chemotherapy he received, he's dealing with heart disease.
The Impact of a Childhood Cancer Diagnosis on the Whole Family Jayne Wexler Shares Her Story
In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, Wexler says she's seen many couples struggle upon hearing the news of their child's diagnosis. In some cases, the couples even break under the intense pressure, she said.
"When we were in the hospital we met a lot of couples, and a lot of people don't stay together because they can handle this," she tells SurvivorNet. "Fortunately, we (she and her husband) were strong and we stayed together."
But just because a couple gets through a cancer diagnosis and treatment doesn't mean the fear for your child's health and safety goes away. Wexler says that she and her husband will always remain fearful of Justice's health, but they work through it together.
"There's always some sort of worry," she said. "We have to live each day and be thankful for what we have, and it's hard to remember that when you're caught up, especially in New York City, with all the craziness. It's very hard just to sort of enjoy the moment."
Contributing: Joe Kerwin
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