[Myogenic tumors of the digestive tract]

Myogenic tumours of the digestive tract are not very frequent. Most often they are found in the stomach, less frequently in the colon and rectum. Many are symptom-free and are an incidental finding on examination or surgery. Treatment is surgical and the type and extent depends on the type, size, site and spread of the tumour. The objective of the submitted paper is to present a group of patients and to confront the findings with those of other authors.

In the course of ten years (1992-1996) the authors diagnosed a myogenic tumour of the digestive tract only in 10 patients. Seven patients were males, three females, mean age 64 years (range 46-89 years). The most frequent symptoms were haemorrhage into the GI tract (6x), abdominal pain (4x), palpable resistance in the abdomen (2x), subileus (1x). Most frequently the stomach was affected (7x) and the small intestine (3x). From the histological aspect the tumour was qualified as benign only 3x (site stomach, leiomyoma). Seven times the tumour was malignant (4x stomach: leiomyoblastoma, 3x small intestine: leiomyosarcoma). Five times surgery was curative, 3x palliative, 2x only explorative. At present only three patients with a benign tumour survive.

Myogenic tumours of the GI tract are relatively rare, preoperative diagnosis is an exception. The clinical picture is non-pathognomic. The only effective therapeutic procedure is surgery: survival depends on the type of tumour.