Paediatric surgery: rhabdomyosarcoma: practice question

A General Surgery question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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General Surgery · Paediatric surgery: rhabdomyosarcoma

Sample item

A 3-year-old girl has grape-like polypoid masses protruding from the vagina. Biopsy shows small round blue cells with strong desmin positivity. What is the diagnosis?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

A. Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, botryoid variant

Sarcoma botryoides is the botryoid variant of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma in the vagina or bladder in young children. Desmin, myogenin and MyoD1 are positive. Treatment is multimodal with vincristine, actinomycin D and cyclophosphamide chemotherapy, with local control by surgery or radiotherapy.

Option by option

  • A. Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, botryoid variant (correct)

    Correct. Botryoid sarcoma fits the description.

  • B. Wilms tumour

    Wilms tumour arises in the kidney.

  • C. Vaginal polyp

    A benign polyp lacks small round blue cells.

  • D. Neuroblastoma

    Neuroblastoma is not desmin positive.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

More General Surgery questions

Questions about this General Surgery question

What is the answer to this General Surgery question?

The best answer is A, Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, botryoid variant. Sarcoma botryoides is the botryoid variant of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma in the vagina or bladder in young children.

Why is "Wilms tumour" not the answer?

Wilms tumour arises in the kidney.

Why is "Vaginal polyp" not the answer?

A benign polyp lacks small round blue cells.

Why is "Neuroblastoma" not the answer?

Neuroblastoma is not desmin positive.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Paediatric surgery: rhabdomyosarcoma in General Surgery. Desmin, myogenin and MyoD1 are positive. Treatment is multimodal with vincristine, actinomycin D and cyclophosphamide chemotherapy, with local control by surgery or radiotherapy.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as a multi-step question: it asks you to combine more than one idea. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Paediatric surgery: rhabdomyosarcoma?

Learn classic signs and eponyms alongside what they diagnose. Then use the flashcards and the other General Surgery questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.