[Leiomyosarcoma of the mesenteric root. A case report]

Although smooth muscle tumors are the most common mesentery neoplasms, they are lesions of infrequent occurrence. The main clinical features of these malignancies are an insidious onset and an aspecific symptomatology, usually presenting themselves as quite large masses. The preoperative diagnosis is difficult, but selective angiography and CT scan may be of great value for this purpose. Since these malignancies are usually not responsive either to radiotherapy or chemotherapy, once diagnosed, the only hope of cure lies in surgical resection. The authors report case of leiomyosarcoma of the mesentery root, treated with radical surgery and still alive and disease free 12 months after resection.