Leiomyosarcoma of the gastric cardia and fundus

BACKGROUND: Gastric leiomyosarcoma is rare among gastric malignancies, and only 20% of the cases are located in the gastric cardia or fundus. It has clinical manifestations different from tumors in other sites of the stomach. We reviewed cases of leiomyosarcoma of the gastric cardia or fundus to evaluate their clinicopathologic characters and patient survival. METHODS: From May, 1981, to June, 1998, a total of 15 patients who underwent curative resection of leiomyosarcoma of the gastric cardia or fundus were retrospectively identified and studied. All the clinical and pathologic data were reviewed and recorded. RESULTS: There were 11 men and four women. Their mean age was 59.1 years (range, 37-73 years). Tarry stools and epigastric fullness and pain were the most common symptoms, followed by body weight loss. All 15 patients had submucosal tumors in the gastric cardia or fundus, as shown by endoscopy, barium contrast radiography and computerized tomography. The incidence of esophageal involvement by the tumors was quite low. The mean tumor size was 10 cm, ranging from 4 cm to 20 cm. Locoregional organs were involved in nine patients. The median and mean survivals were 17.8 months and 31.7 months, respectively (range, 10.1-80.1 months) after curative resection. The three-year and five-year survival rates were 53% and 22%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The definitive preoperative diagnosis of the tumor is difficult before surgery, even though imaging studies show positive findings. Surgical resection with an adequate safe margin of normal tissue is the treatment of choice. Tumor size, serosal invasion with locoregional organ involvement and high tumor grade were the prognostic factors in the study.