Leiomyosarcoma facts for kids

Leiomyosarcoma, also known as LMS, is a type of cancer. It starts in the body's smooth muscle cells. These special cells are found in many places, like the walls of your stomach, intestines, and blood vessels. LMS is a serious kind of tumor.

What is Leiomyosarcoma?

Leiomyosarcoma is a malignant tumor. This means it is cancerous and can spread. It grows from smooth muscle cells. These cells help your organs work, like moving food through your digestive system.

How Common is LMS?

LMS is a rare type of cancer. About 1 in 100,000 people are diagnosed with it each year. It is one of the more common types of soft-tissue sarcoma. Sarcomas are cancers that grow in soft tissues like muscles, fat, and blood vessels. LMS makes up about 10 to 20 percent of new soft-tissue sarcoma cases.

What Makes LMS Unique?

Leiomyosarcomas can be quite hard to predict. They might stay "sleeping" or inactive for a long time. This means the cancer can come back years after it was first treated. This makes it a challenging cancer to manage.

Treating LMS

LMS is known to be an aggressive cancer. This means it can grow and spread quickly. It often does not respond well to standard chemotherapy treatments. Doctors are always looking for new and better ways to treat this type of cancer.

Images for kids

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  Histopathology of leiomyosarcoma shows variable atypia, often with cytoplasmic vacuoles at both ends of nuclei, and frequent mitoses.

See also

In Spanish: Leiomiosarcoma para niños