Objective: To evaluate transrectal ultrasound as a means of diagnosis and of monitoring patients with rhabdomyosarcoma involving the prostate.
Patients and methods: Serial transrectal ultrasonography was utilized to evaluate prostatic rhabdomyosarcoma in three patients.
Results: Unlike prostatic adenocarcinoma and transitional cell carcinoma involving the prostate, which are predominantly hypoechoic, the echogenicity of rhabdomyosarcoma is similar to that of the normal prostate. Transrectal ultrasound provided a simple means of monitoring prostate size and sampling tissue in these patients.
Conclusion: Transrectal ultrasound imaging can be useful in both diagnosis and evaluation of treatment response as well as provide easy access for biopsies in patients with rhabdomyosarcoma involving the prostate.