GASTROINTESTINAL LEIOMYOSARCOMAS - EXPERIENCE OF 14 CASES AND REVIEW OF PUBLISHED REPORTS

Objective: To present our experience of leiomyosarcoma of the gastroin testinal tract during a 10 year period and review similar publications . Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Teaching hospital, Greece. Sub jects: 14 patients who were treated for leiomyosarcoma between 1983 an d 1993. Interventions: Tumours were diagnosed by endoscopy, computed t omography, and contrast examination. All patients were treated by rese ction and no adjuvant treatment was given. Main outcome measures: Morb idity, mortality, and outcome. Results: The diagnosis was made preoper atively in 10/14 patients; 4 of the tumours were locally advanced at t he time of laparotomy, and two had liver metastases. Resection was pot entially curative (all macroscopic tumour removed) in 12 patients (86% ). Three patients died of recurrent disease at 5, 8 and 63 months, res pectively. The mean follow up in the 11 survivors was 44 months (range 24-83). Conclusion: Resection is the treatment of choice for these tu mours. A multicentre trial would be required to assess the effect of a djuvant chemotherapy.