Palliative hepatic arterial chemoembolization for hepatic metastasis from gastrointestinal leiomyosarcoma: Report of two cases

Metastatic gastrointestinal leiomyosarcoma is often confined to the liver and responds poorly to systemic chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Liver metastasis decreases a patient's chances for survival, and an unresectable lesion is an unfavorable prognostic factor. We present two cases of gastrointestinal leiomyosarcoma with liver metastases 6 and 3 years after surgical resection of the primary tumor, Transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization (TACE) produced regression of the metastatic hepatic lesions, One patient had an uneventful life until his death from unrelated causes 4 years after treatment; the other experienced dramatic relief of abdominal pain. TACE is an effective palliative therapy for metastatic hepatic leiomyosarcoma that can improve quality of life and prolong survival.