Advanced leiomyosarcoma of the stomach

Retrospective studies of twelve patients with advanced gastric leiomyosarcomas were undertaken to evaluate radical surgical resection and combined modality treatment with regard to the patient survival and symptom palliation. All but one patient were found to have metastases or involvement of adjacent organs at the initial operation. Despite radical resection, multidrug chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, no patient survived beyond the third year. Patients with objective response to chemotherapy and radiation and chemotherapy had a mean survival of 27 months, while those who did not respond survived only 7 months. The longest survival among untreated group was 8 months. Successful palliation of advanced gastric leiomyosarcoma requires early diagnosis, surgical resection and multimodal therapy.