title: Renal leiomyosarcoma: report of three cases and review of the literature.
abstract: In the present study three cases of renal leiomyosarcoma are presented. All the patients were complaint about pain at right or left lumbar area and microscopic or gross haematuria. The clinical examination did not confirm any pathologic finding. The ultrasonographic and CT scan investigation of the patients revealed a renal mass. Under the frozen section diagnosis of malignant tumor in two cases and the cytological diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma in the third case, a radical nephrectomy was performed. In all the cases the pathological diagnosis was renal leiomyosarcoma. Because of the rarity of this neoplasm, the literature is reviewed, presenting the symptoms, the radiological findings, the diagnostic criteria and the differential diagnosis of the tumor. Radical nephrectomy remains the treatment of choice for this tumor, which exhibits an aggressive biological behavior and an unfavorable prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, National University of Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kavantzas
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Pavlopoulos
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Karaitianos
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Agapitos
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D007890:Leiomyosarcoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged