title: The treatment of uterine leiomyosarcoma: clinical outcomes of 18 cases and the effectiveness of chemotherapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate clinical outcomes with respect to the effectiveness of chemotherapy in the treatment of uterine leiomyosarcoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Study subjects were 18 patients with uterine leiomyosarcoma treated surgically at our hospital between February 1986 and December 2007. A chemotherapy regimen that combined ifosfamide, epirubicine, and cisplatin (IEP) was used as the main first-line chemotherapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  FIGO disease stages were as follows: Stage I (n = 11), Stage II (n = 1), Stage III (n = 3), Stage IV (n = 3). Five-year overall survival of patients with Stage I-III disease was 65.3% (95% CI: 46.1-92.4%). None of patients with Stage IV disease survived for more than two years. Of seven patients who suffered advanced or recurrent disease, six received IEP; the response rate was 50%, one complete response and two partial responses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The combination of surgery and chemotherapy seems to be an acceptable treatment for uterine leiomyosarcoma. IEP may be an active regimen for this aggressive disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology, Cancer Institute Hospital, Ariake, Koutou-ku, Tokyo, Japan. maki.matsumura@jfcr.or.jp
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matoda
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takeshima
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nomura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kino
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Omatsu
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iwase
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Umayahara
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takizawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007890:Leiomyosarcoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology