title: Retroperitoneal leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava mimicking a liver tumor.
abstract: Leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava (IVC) is a rare sarcoma, but it is the most common primary malignancy of the IVC. It has an extremely poor prognosis. We describe a 60-year-old white female complaining of abdominal fullness for 7 weeks before she sought medical assistance. Initial work-up including sonography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance showed a tumor in the right upper quadrant of the abdominal cavity originating from the liver with compression of the IVC and displacement of the right kidney. The patient underwent surgical resection of the tumor with clear margins and reconstruction of the IVC using a Dacron tubular graft. Postoperatively, she was placed on Coumadin and adjuvant chemotherapy was started. Subsequently, the patient developed metastasis into the liver and peripancreatic nodes during the follow-up period. Considering the aggressiveness of this tumor, early radical en block resection with clear margins is still the only chance for long-term survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Methodist Dallas Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75265-5999, USA.
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sokolich
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mejia
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Ernest
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dunn
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007813:Laparotomy; D007890:Leiomyosarcoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000556:secondary; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000556:secondary; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012186:Retroperitoneal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D019043:Vascular Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014682:Vena Cava, Inferior / Q000473:pathology*