Surgical treatment of uterine sarcoma

Uterine sarcomas are rare, heterogeneous malignant tumours of several histologic types originating from mesenchymal tissues of the uterus. The most common histologic types are carcinosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, and endometrial stromal sarcoma, accounting for 90% of uterine sarcomas. To date, no effective treatment has been found to achieve a high rate of cure or prolong survival. Although complete surgical excision of the tumour is the only curative treatment modality, the rarity of these tumours and their diversity of histologic types have precluded the development of standard surgical strategies. Surgery may also be optimal for recurrent uterine sarcomas, but indications for secondary surgical treatment have not been established. Here, we describe recent changes in, and updates of, the surgical treatment of the three most common types of malignant uterine sarcomas.