All forms of cancer begin with a cell that has developed certain genetic mutations. These mutations cause it to grow abnormally quickly and to be more resistant to chemical signals that would tell it to stop. Sarcomas are cancers that arise from soft tissue, such as blood vessels, fat, nerves and muscle tissue. A leiomyosarcoma is a type of cancer that arises from the tissue of smooth muscles.
Step 1
Find a sarcoma oncologist. This action ensures you are getting the newest treatments for the effective treatment of a leiomyosarcoma.
Step 2
Get it removed. The most effective treatment for leiomyosarcoma is surgical removal, in which a surgeon will remove the cancerous tissue as well as some of the surrounding healthy tissue (to ensure that none of the tumor has been missed).
Step 3
Get radiation treatment. This is known as "adjuvant" treatment and will be used after surgery to try to prevent recurrence of the cancer. This is usually done via the use of directed X-ray beams.
Step 4
Get chemotherapy. Chemotherapy can also be used to treat leiomyosarcomas and other soft tissue sarcomas. It works by poisoning cancer cells. For a leiomyosarcoma, the chemotherapy drugs may be given as a pill, or they may be injected directly into the blood vessels of the sarcoma (a technique called "regional" chemotherapy).
Step 5
Get targeted therapies. Targeted therapies are compounds that are designed to specifically block certain kinds of cancer. Usually, for these therapies to be effective, it is important to identify some of the genetic mutations that the tumor has developed. One kind of targeted therapy that is sometimes used for a leiomyosarcoma is called Gleevec, which blocks a protein that some tumors use to divide and grow.
Things You'll Need
- Oncologist
