
<b>Metastatic Disease

How to Use This Section of the Website</b>
This section describes options for LOCAL control of tumors [as opposed to SYSTEMIC control], and is organized by the site of the tumor.  

<b>The medical journal articles state that surgery is the gold standard, and resection with wide margins should be done wherever possible. 
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For situations where surgery is not possible, here are other options for local control:  local ablative methods like cryosurgery and radio frequency ablation, different kinds of embolization, isolated perfusions, hyperthermia, and others.  Each site is dealt with separately, as different techniques apply.

The first subject below, Metastatic patterns of Sarcomas, gives some indication of where metastases are most commonly found. With leiomyosarcoma, the site of the metastasis can be almost anywhere. But there are more frequent and less frequent sites of metastatic occurrence. Sites given special attention here are: Liver, Lung, Liver&Lung, Limb, Brain, and Bone.

The index gives the sites of the metastases chosen for consideration. The techniques of treatment that can be used with each metastatic site are discussed under each  site, often with a short explanation.  
For each technique, there is a collection of medical journal article references relating to that technique, its success with LMS or sarcomas, if such is available, and further information about its use and complications.   Note that some of these articles refer to treatment of other types of cancer, or are not recent.  The articles on other cancers are included for their description of complications, or to show that this is a respected technique, which has some reasonable results... HOWEVER, the response rates for other cancers, even sarcomas, do not necessarily mirror or predict LMS response. 

Some of the articles might be 10 or 20 years old, they are usually the clinical trials for the technique, or clearly explain the risks and complications of the technique, something a more recent paper might take for granted.  
Generally, the best way to deal with LMS metastases is by surgical resection, if it is at all possible.  If it is not, and should you be interested in a specific technique, the medical journal citations, or their abstracts on PubMed, can be highlighted and copied, and then printed out and taken with you to your doctor for further discussion.  Some techniques are discussed in much greater detail in the Techniques section of this website.

[  ] will indicate editorial comment by the compiler. Some sentences are highlighted in bold, again choice of the compiler. 

