Extragastric Leiomyosarcoma with Staining for Neuron-specific Enolase in the Histological Specimen

Yosuke Fukunaga, Masayuki Higashino, Harushi Osugi, Shinya Tanimura, Taigo Tokuhara, Susumu Kaseno*, Nobuyasu Takada*, Fumikazu Maeda**, Akitoshi Tokuyama, Hiroaki Kinoshita*

*Second Department of Surgery, Osaka City University Medical School
**First Department of Pathology, Osaka City University Medical School

Some 1-2% of malignant gastric tumors are leiomyosarcoma. We treated a patient with extragastric leiomyosarcoma with staining for neuron-specific enolase in the histological specimen. A 44-year-old woman with submucosal tumor of the stomach underwent gastrectomy with lymph-node dissection. The tumor, which measured 9×7 cm, had developed extragastrically. In the histological examination, the tumor was diagnosed as being a leiomyosarcoma. Immunohistochemical study showed neuron-specific enolase in the tumor. It is often difficult to differentiate between leiomyomas and leiomyosarcomas even with a histological specimen. Neuronspecific enolase may be a marker of malignancy.

Key words
extragastric leiomyosarcoma, neuron-speciflc enolase

Reprint requests
Yosuke Fukunaga Second Department of Surgery, Osaka City University Medical School
1-5-7 Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka, 545 JAPAN

Accepted
May 11, 1993

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