Leiomyosarcoma

Paper Summary:

A study by the Northern California Cancer Center states that soft tissue sarcomas occur in two out of 100,000 persons in the United States. It also states that leiomyosarcomas are about 20% of soft tissue sarcomas. This means about two in every 500,000 persons in the United States contracts leiomyosarcoma and the rareness of leiomyosarcomas makes them difficult for doctors to study. The paper examines who is affected by this form of malignant cancer and the treatments available.

From the Paper:

"Surgery to remove the tumor (called "resection") is the most common first line treatment for soft tissue sarcomas. In efforts to keep the cancer from returning, the surgeon tries to achieve a "clear margin. This means the surgeon may try to remove some healthy tissue that surrounds the tumor. Attaining a clear margin means the chance of cancer cells being left behind are reduced.
Radiation therapy may be used before surgery to shrink the size of the tumor or after surgery to decrease the chances that the cancer will return. Radiation may also be used if surgery is not a viable option. Radiation may be combined with other therapies.(2)"

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