Hepatic metastases from primary extremity leiomyosarcomas: Two case reports

Curative resection of leiomyosarcoma of the descending colon with metachronous liver metastasis: A case report

BACKGROUND

Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) has a poor prognosis and rarely originates from the colon. If resection is possible, surgery is the first treatment most commonly considered. Unfortunately, no standard treatment exists for hepatic metastasis of LMS; although, several treatments, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery, have been used. Subsequently, the management of liver metastases remains controversial.

CASE SUMMARY

We present a rare case of metachronous liver metastasis in a patient with LMS originating from the descending colon. A 38-year-old man initially reported abdominal pain and diarrhea over the previous two months. Colonoscopy revealed a 4-cm diameter mass in the descending colon, 40 cm from the anal verge. Computed tomography revealed intussusception of the descending colon due to the 4-cm mass. The patient underwent a left hemicolectomy. Immunohistochemical analysis of the tumor revealed that it was positive for smooth muscle actin and desmin, and negative for cluster of differentiation 34 (CD34), CD117, and discovered on gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST)-1, which are characteristic of gastrointestinal LMS. A single liver metastasis developed 11 mo post-operatively; the patient subsequently underwent curative resection thereof. The patient remained disease-free after six cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy (doxorubicin and ifosfamide), and 40 and 52 mo after liver resection and primary surgery, respectively. Similar cases were obtained from a search of Embase, PubMed, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar.

CONCLUSION

Early diagnosis and surgical resection may be the only potential curative options for liver metastasis of gastrointestinal LMS.

Pulmonary Metastases From Primary Thigh Leiomyosarcoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Leiomyosarcoma is a rare type of tumor of smooth muscle cells that can occur anywhere in the body. However, it typically occurs in the retroperitoneum, intra-abdominal sites, and uterus in people over 65. Here is a case of a 71-year-old male with a history of melanoma of the skin who presented with a rapidly enlarging, non-tender lump at his left lateral thigh area that was later diagnosed as pleomorphic dedifferentiated leiomyosarcoma. The patient underwent radical resection of the tumor and the attached vastus lateralis muscle and partial lateral collateral ligament, followed by radiation therapy to the resected site. He had no evidence of tumor recurrence on follow-up imaging for several months until he was found to have metastatic disease to the lungs on a surveillance CT one year later. A biopsy confirmed that the lung nodules were leiomyosarcoma metastases, and the patient was started on chemotherapy and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). Upon reviewing the literature, a few cases of leiomyosarcoma arising from the thigh muscles were found.

Laparoscopic liver resection for liver metastasis of leiomyosarcoma of the thigh: a case report

Background

Although there is no established treatment strategy for liver metastasis of leiomyosarcoma, liver resection has been reported to be effective in some cases. However, almost all liver resections performed for liver metastasis of primary leiomyosarcoma are reported to be open resections, and there are few reports of liver resection performed by laparoscopy. Here, we report a case of laparoscopic liver resection for liver metastasis of a leiomyosarcoma in the right thigh.

Case presentation

An 80-year-old man was diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma of the right thigh with liver metastasis. The primary tumor was first resected, and he was discharged on the 25th postoperative day. Four months after primary tumor resection, a laparoscopic right posterior sectionectomy was performed. There were no postoperative complications, and the patient was discharged on the 11th postoperative day with a histopathological diagnosis of liver metastasis of leiomyosarcoma and negative resection margins. Currently, 9 months have passed since the resection of the primary tumor, and 5 months have passed since the laparoscopic liver resection; there is no recurrence.

Conclusions

The liver metastasis of leiomyosarcoma was successfully removed, with good short-term outcomes after the laparoscopic liver resection. Laparoscopic liver resection seems to be effective for liver metastasis of leiomyosarcoma, which is characterized by a high recurrence rate after surgery. However, more case studies may be necessary to examine the effectiveness and long-term results of laparoscopic liver resection for the treatment of liver metastasis of leiomyosarcoma.

Follow-up Strategies for Primary Extremity Soft-tissue Sarcoma in Adults: A Systematic Review of the Published Literature

AIM

Follow-up strategies for primary extremity soft-tissue sarcomas (eSTS) in adults were evaluated in a systematic review of the published literature.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The published literature was reviewed using PubMed. Of 136,646 studies published between 1985 and 2019, 78 original articles met the inclusion criteria. Articles were selected on the basis of the PRISMA guidelines. The selected articles were then cross-searched to identify further publications. August 1, 2019 was used as the concluding date of publication.

RESULTS

A variety of follow-up schedules have been reported in recently published literature. Two official guidelines have been approved by international societies. The guidelines distinguish between high- and low-grade STS, but mention a wide range of follow-up intervals. Established tools of follow-up include computed tomograph, X-rays of the chest, and magnetic resonance imaging of the primary tumor site in addition to clinical observation and physical examination.

CONCLUSION

Further research will be needed to establish evidence-based guidelines and schedules for follow-up strategies in patients with eSTS.

Abdominal metastases of primary extremity soft tissue sarcoma: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Despite the fact that about one third of patients with primary localized extremity soft tissue sarcoma (eSTS) will develop metastatic disease, abdominal metastases (AM) and retroperitoneal metastases (RM) constitute rare events. There is no clear consensus on how to achieve follow-up on patients with primary localized eSTS following curative resection, especially regarding the surveillance of potential AM/RM.

AIM

To systematically analyse incidence, diagnosis, treatment and outcome of AM/RM in eSTS patients.

METHODS

In this systematic review, 899 studies available in PubMed and published between 2000 and 2018 were screened, identifying 17 original articles focused on AM or RM in eSTS. Article selection was based on the PRISMA guidelines, using the search terms (abdominal metastasis AND soft tissue sarcoma) and (soft tissue sarcoma metastasis abdomen). All studies published between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2018 were screened. Further articles were identified by cross-searching article references, with the final search date being February 18, 2019. Due to limited data and the different reporting techniques used, the present review focused on descriptive analysis of the included studies.

RESULTS

Of the 17 studies included, six original articles reported on incidence ± diagnosis, therapy and outcome in AM and RM, whilst three original and eight case reports focused on diagnostic pathway, therapeutic procedures or outcomes without allowing conclusions regarding incidence of AM and RM. According to the former six studies, incidence of AM ranged from 0.9%-5.6% in patients with miscellaneous histological subtypes, and up to 12.1% in patients with myxoid liposarcoma. The most common histological subtypes that developed AM or RM were (myxoid) liposarcoma and leiomyosarcoma, but also rare subtypes such as epithelioid sarcoma, myxofibrosarcoma, synovial sarcoma, and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour had been reported to develop AM/RM. Surgery for AM/RM was performed in five of eight case-reports (62.5%) and in 20.8%-100.0% of original articles. In particular, patients with hepatic metastases undergoing metastasectomy had a survival benefit compared to patients treated with chemotherapy or best supportive care (> 3 years vs < 6 mo).

CONCLUSION

Patients with eSTS should undergo surveillance with abdominal ultrasonography/computed tomography, or even whole-body-magnetic resonance imaging to detect AM/RM at an early stage.