Leiomyosarcoma

If your child has been diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma, you’ll have concerns and questions about her health, treatment, recovery and other issues. It may comfort you to know that leiomyosarcoma is a very rare, but very treatable cancer, and that Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center is a world leader in treating children with cancer. We specialize in innovative, family-centered care that supports your child and family every step of the way.

About leiomyosarcoma

Leiomyosarcomais a very rare, but very treatable cancer. It’s a type of soft tissue sarcoma (cancer) that grows in muscle tissue in muscles, including muscles in the skin and organs. In children, it usually grows in the gastrointestinal tract. Since it is in the soft tissue areas, it can be difficult to detect because they are covered by other structures such as skeletal muscle.

• Leiomyosarcoma can spread (metastasize) to other areas of the body, but usually does not if it is removed early.
• Its cause is unknown but has been linked to genetics and inherited diseases.
• Children with AIDS are at risk for developing this kind of cancer.
• A tumor may exist for a long time before being discovered.
• Treatment usually involves surgery and potentially radiation and/or chemotherapy.
• Leiomyosarcoma is very treatable, with 80% success rate if the tumor is completely removed.
• There are no gender related risks among children. Girls and boys have equal risks of having leiomyosarcoma.
• It is extremely rare. There are only 20 to 30 cases of child leiomyosarcoma cases per year in the United States.
• The outlook is very good if the tumor is completely removed.

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

Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center provides compassionate, comprehensive medical and surgical care for children and adolescents with benign or malignant soft tissue tumors.

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

In addition to a multidisciplinary approach, we are starting a personalized medicine approach to make sure we treat each leiomyosarcoma case separately, as each person is unique, down to the molecular level. We develop a treatment plan specifically designed for your child.