Leiomyosarcoma

Leiomyosarcoma is a very rare soft tissue sarcoma (cancer) that grows in muscle tissue. It can occur anywhere in the body, although it tends to develop in muscle tissue of the gastrointestinal tract, uterus and the region that contains the kidneys, pancreas, and part of the aorta and inferior vena cava. Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center provides comprehensive medical and surgical care for children and adolescents with benign or malignant bone and soft tissue tumors.

• It can spread (metastasize) to other areas of the body.
• Its cause is unknown but has been linked to genetics and inherited diseases.
• Children with AIDS are also at risk.
• A tumor may exist for a long time before being discovered.
• Treatment usually involves surgery and potentially radiation and/or chemotherapy.

How Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center approaches leiomyosarcoma

Our multidisciplinary approach to care ensures in-depth discussion of each case and personalized treatment plans for every patient. We integrate expertise from the following specialists:

• pediatric oncologists, surgical oncologists and radiation oncologists.
• pediatric experts from every medical subspecialty, such as orthopedics, ophthalmology, physical therapy and radiology, among others.
• highly skilled and experienced pediatric oncology nurses.
• child life specialists, psychologists, social workers and resource specialists who provide supportive care before, during and after treatment.

We are also conducting numerous research studies to help better understand and treat soft tissue sarcomas.