GASTRIC EPITHELIOID LEIOMYOSARCOMA - CLIN ICAL-EXPERIENCES WITH A RARE TUMOR OF THE STOMACH

Gastric epithelioid leiomyosarcoma (epLMS), which generally occurs in mid- or late adult life, is a rare smooth muscle tumor of the stomach. Out of 25 soft tissue tumors of the stomach operated at the Departmen t of Surgery, University of Graz, two epLMS were diagnosed. This paper presents the case of a 67-pear-old male with an epLMS in the corpus a nd of a 80-year-old female with an epLMS in the fundus of the stomach. The tumors were not diagnosed by gastroscopy; they were localized by sonography and CT-scan. In both cases the tumor was completely removed surgically, using a TA 90 4.8 mm respectively a TA 55 4.8 mm stapler. Diagnosis was reached by histological and immunohistochemical examina tion of the tumor tissue. Surgical excision with wide tumor-free resec tion margins is the therapy of choice in this tumor group.