Leiomyosarcoma of the Bone

Have you been diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma of bone? If so, you are probably scared or concerned and looking for answers about your disease.

Of course you should direct all of your questions to your doctor, but consider this a quick guide to leiomyosarcoma of bone to help you get a basic understanding of the disease in order to ask more informed questions.

What is Leiomyosarcoma of Bone?

Leiomyosarcoma, an aggressive form of connective tissue cancer, is rare itself, occurring in less than one percent of sarcoma cases. In turn, leiomyosarcoma of bone is one of the rarest leiomyosarcomas. There have been only about 90 cases of primary leiomyosarcoma of bone reported since it was first discovered in 1965

This is because many cases that are initially thought to represent leiomyosarcoma of bone actually happen to be found, after further investigation, as metastatic disease from another primary site, or a bony intrusion from a nearby soft tissue lesion.

Of all the cases of primary leiomyosarcoma of bone reported thus far, some have been in the metaphysis (the part of the bone that grows during childhood) of long bones. Cancerous lesions are thought to arise from smooth muscle cells lining the intraosseous vessles, or from pluripotent mesenchymal cells.

The structure of leiomyosarcoma of bone is the same as that of soft tissue leiomyosarcoma.

What are the Symptoms of Leiomyosarcoma of Bone?

In radiographic tests these tumors typically appear as a radiolucent lesion in the metaphysis of a long bone, although they do appear in other locations as well. Leiomyosarcoma of bone appears much more often in men than it does in women.

These tumors often identify as a permeation, or a protrusion underneath the skin of a liquid.

According to the American Cancer Society, other signs and symptoms of bone cancer include:

• Pain in the affected bone. Initially the pain is not constant. It can tend to worsen at night, or when the bone is used. For example, you might have leg pain while walking. As the cancer grows, the pain will be constant and will increase with activity.
• Swelling in the area of the pain might occur, weeks later. It is possible that you will feel a lump or a mass, depending on the location of the tumor. Lumps and masses are very common with leiomyosarcoma.
• Fractures are possible if the bones are weakened significantly by the leiomyosarcoma.
• Other common symptoms are numbness, weakness, weight loss, fatigue, and trouble breathing.

These symptoms are not surefire signs of leiomyosarcoma of bone, but if you are experiencing them you should talk to a doctor to try and find out what is wrong.

Treatment Options for Leiomyosarcoma of Bone?

Leiomyosarcoma of bone patients are treated with chemotherapy, particularly if they have a high-grade (more serious) tumor and are under the age of 60. Those patients with low-grade tumors, or much older than 60, typically have no chemotherapy, but instead surgical resection with large surgical margins being ideal.

The most common chemotherapy drugs used for leiomyosarcoma of bone are cisplatin and adriamycin.

In studies of leiomyosarcoma of bone patients, patients had a median survival rate of two years, but all died within four years.