Endoscopic features of intestinal smooth muscle tumor in a child with AIDS

Smooth muscle tumors are now recognized as the second most frequent maligna ncy in HIV infected children (1). The annual incidence of soft tissue tumor s in the entire pediatric population is approximately 8.4 cases per million children (2, 3). Of these at least 12 cases of leiomyomas and leiomyosarco mas have been reported in children with the acquired immune deficiency synd rome (AIDS) (4-11). This brief communication is the first report describing the endoscopic appearance of these tumors in the gastrointestinal tract in children. The clinical synopsis of the case is followed by a short review of pediatric intestinal leiomyosarcomas, emphasizing the published literatu re on children with AIDS, and the uncertainties regarding the histopatholog ic diagnosis of these lesions.