title: Primary leiomyosarcoma of the anterior mediastinum.
abstract: Primary mediastinal leiomyosarcoma are extremely rare tumors, which develop from smooth muscle, usually in the esophagus or main vessels. Very few cases have been reported in the literature and only two of these developed from small vessels in the soft tissue of the anterior mediastinum. We report on a 45-year-old man who presented with a huge anterior mediastinal tumor. The tumor was surgically removed with right thoracotomy and the diagnosis of well-differentiated leiomyosarcoma was established. It probably originated from the anterior mediastinal tissue, so at operation a continuity was not found between the tumor and neighboring structures. This rare and interesting histopathology is discussed and the literature is reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Department Of Thoracic Surgery, Medical Faculty, Atatürk University, 25240 Erzurum, Turkey. atilaeroglu@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Atilla
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eroğlu
authors.forename: Can
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kürkçüoğlu
authors.forename: Nurettin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Karaoğlanoğlu
authors.forename: Nesrin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gürsan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D007890:Leiomyosarcoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D011184:Postoperative Period; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed