Leiomyosarcoma of the ileum presenting as a pelvic mass

The purpose of this study is to analyze the characteristics of patients pre senting with pelvic mass and diagnosed with sarcoma of the ileum at laparot omy. A retrospective review of patients' files and pathology reports was ma de. Five cases of leiomyosarcoma of the ileum constituted 0.7% of 728 new c ases with a final pathologic diagnosis of gynecologic or other pelvic malig nancy. The median age of the 5 patients was 58 years. All patients presente d with a pelvic mass and underwent ileal resection with end-to-end anastomo sis. Two patients with disseminated tumors at the time of initial surgery d ied of their disease, and those with early-stage tumors remained alive and tumor free. It is concluded that ileal leiomyosarcomas may show signs and s ymptoms of ovarian carcinoma. Gynecologic oncologists should have an unders tanding of these pathologic entities and their natural history and be ready to perform the necessary surgical procedures for these small bowel tumors.