Treatment

Which treatments are likely to be most effective for you depend on the location and size of your leiomyosarcoma, as well as whether it has spread to other areas of your body. Your doctor also considers your overall health and your preferences when creating a treatment plan.

In general, treatments for leiomyosarcoma may include:

• Surgery. The goal of surgery is to remove all of the leiomyosarcoma. But that might not be possible if the cancer has grown very large or has grown to involve other nearby organs. Instead, your surgeon may remove as much of the cancer as possible.
• Radiation therapy. Radiation therapy uses powerful energy beams, such as X-rays and protons, to kill cancer cells. During a radiation therapy session, you lie on a table while a machine moves around you and directs the energy beams into your body. Radiation therapy might be recommended after surgery to kill any cancer cells that might remain.
• Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses powerful chemicals to kill cancer cells. It might be recommended if the leiomyosarcoma can't be removed completely with surgery or if the cancer spreads to other areas of the body.
• Targeted drug therapy. Targeted drug treatments focus on specific abnormalities present within cancer cells. By blocking these abnormalities, targeted drug treatments can cause cancer cells to die. Targeted drug therapy might be an option for advanced leiomyosarcoma. Your doctor may test your cancer cells to determine whether targeted drugs might be helpful for you.