Primary leiomyosarcoma of the skin

Leiomyosarcomas of the skin are frequently misdiagnosed clinically. This tumour however, exhibits typical histological and immunohistochemical features. This collection of seven cases of cutaneous leiomyosarcoma on the trunk and limbs of adults with a mean age of 63 years and a range of 49-78 years demonstrates that the clinical diagnosis in each case, from seven different clinicians, did not include the correct diagnosis. In each case, the special immunohistochemical stains were helpful in making the diagnosis with actin and vimentin being positive and S100 and prekeratin stains being negative.