Leiomyosarcoma of the esophagus: report of a case and review of the literature.

Leiomyosarcoma of the esophagus is a very rare neoplasm, the total number of reported cases in the English literature being 44 patients. We describe another case of the esophageal leiomyosarcoma to add to the recorded experience of this rare tumor. The therapeutic and prognostic implications of the tumor are discussed, and the related literature is reviewed. In spite of the progress in the thoracic surgical care of patients and the progress in the field of oncology, overall prognosis of patients with leiomyosarcoma of the esophagus remains unchanged. Patients with polypoid lesions and well-differentiated histologic features appear to show better chance of survival. Simple excision of the lesion can be as effective as radical excision, especially in well-localized lesions.