[Gastrointestinal leiomyosarcoma]

The clinical course of 12 patients was analyzed in a retrospective study; all of these patients were operated on a gastrointestinal leiomyosarcoma. The most common site of metastasis was the liver (33%). These data confirm that histologic grade, size and the extent of resection are the most important prognostic factors. Because the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant smooth muscle tumors is often quite difficult and a high risk of local recurrence the enucleation of these tumors is insufficient.