Dr. Chase on the Presentation of Uterine Sarcomas

Dana Chase, MD, gynecologic oncologist, Arizona Oncology, discusses the presentation of uterine sarcomas.

Uterine sarcomas are very rare in the gynecologic oncology world. Only about 2% to 4% of uterine cancers are uterine sarcomas, Chase explains. Physicians estimate that a gynecologic oncologist has approximately 2 or 3 active patients in their practice, and most uterine sarcomas present in the form of leiomyosarcomas. Carcinoid sarcomas are the most common type of uterine sarcomas, but they are classified as more traditional endometrial cancers.

After that, uterine leiomyosarcomas are the next most common type of uterine sarcoma. Those patients typically don’t present with uterine bleeding. They may have been found to have this tumor because they were having a hysterectomy for fibroids. In the metastatic setting, patients may have been found to have abdominal pain or shortness of breath and received a biopsy that revealed uterine leiomyosarcoma. Often in the early-stage setting, the gynecologic oncologist meets with the patient after they were operated on by a gynecologist. From that point, the physician has to determine whether to administer chemotherapy or observation.