Trans-oral robotic surgery for a Ewing's sarcoma of tongue in a pediatric patient: a case report

Abstract

The Ewing's sarcoma Family of Tumors (EFT) includes classic Ewing's Sarcoma (ES) of bone, Extraskeletal Ewing's Sarcoma (EES) and malignant peripheral primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor (pNET) of bone and soft tissue.
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\nES is an aggressive tumor with a high incidence of local recurrence and distant metastasis, which is more common in males respect to females, particularly in the first 2–3 decades of life.1 The skeletal form is more common and typically occurs in the long bones of the extremities. The extra skeletal form occurs in the soft tissues of the lower extremities, paravertebral tissues, chest wall, retroperitoneum and rarely in the head and neck region in about 1–4% of cases.2 Involvement of the head and neck is usually identified in the nasal or oral cavities, sinuses or soft tissues of the neck.3 Primary Ewing's sarcoma of the base of tongue is exceedingly rare and we present the first case in literature in a 16 year-old male treated by Trans-Oral Robotic Surgery (TORS) and postoperative chemotherapy.