The role of adjuvant therapy in uterine leiomyosarcoma.

ABSTRACT

Uterine leiomyosarcoma (uLMS) is a rare mesenchymal tumor of the gynecologic tract. Although diagnosed in only 1-3% of patients with uterine cancer, uLMS accounts for the majority of uterine cancer-related deaths. The standard of care for patients with uLMS includes total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO). There are no standard recommendations regarding adjuvant or palliative therapy. Many cytotoxic and targeted agents have been studied in clinical trials in an effort to identify an effective therapy that may alter the natural history of this disease. Unfortunately, as of now, there are no adjuvant therapy regimens that improve overall survival in this patient population. There is, therefore, an unmet need to identify a novel therapy that will improve the survival of women diagnosed with this aggressive disease. Here we summarize the existing literature on adjuvant therapy in uLMS, specifically highlighting advances made in the last 5 years.