Desmoplastic cutaneous leiomyosarcoma: case report and review of the literature

Abstract

We report the case of a 51-year-old man with an asymptomatic indurated plaque on the chest wall that was surgically excised and submitted for histopathological examination. Microscopically, the dermis was occupied by a neoplastic process with spindle-shaped cells arranged in longitudinal fascicles with cytologic atypia; the abundant sclerotic stroma was composed of hyaline material. Tumoral cells showed immunohistochemical reactivity to smooth muscle markers. The diagnosis was desmoplastic leiomyosarcoma of the skin. This unusual entity is identified and discussed, and we review the literature.

The histopathologic spectrum of regression in atypical fibroxanthoma

“…Sclerosis with hyalinization of the collagen bundles is a phenomenon that may also be seen in a spectrum of conditions ranging from inflammatory dermatoses (lichen sclerosus et atrophicus, 31 chronic radiodermatitis 32 ), reactive proliferations, (nodular fasciitis, 33 nodular and diffuse fibrous proliferation of the male genital tract, 34 scar 33 ) and tumors (desmoplastic fibroblastoma, 35 dermatofibroma, 36,37 sclerotic fibroma, 38–40 sclerosing dermatofibrosarcoma protruberans, 41 desmoplastic leiomyosarcoma, 42–44 desmoplastic sclerotic nevus 45 and desmoplastic malignant melanoma 46,47 ).…”

Primary cutaneous leiomyosarcoma: clinicopathological analysis of 36 cases

“…Thus, these tumours have been poorly characterized in terms of both pathological features and clinical outcome. To date, LMS of the skin has been analysed only in a few studies of any significant size 1–7 and in numerous smaller investigations 8–26 . In most of these studies, the specific pathological features and clinical outcome of cutaneous LMS are difficult to establish because true cutaneous LMS have not been analysed separately from subcutaneous LMS.…”

“…To date, LMS of the skin has been analysed only in a few studies of any significant size [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] and in numerous smaller investigations. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] In most of these studies, the specific pathological features and clinical outcome of cutaneous LMS are difficult to establish because true cutaneous LMS have not been analysed separately from subcutaneous LMS. Diagnostic criteria have not been precisely defined so far, and available recommendations tend to remain vague and, not infrequently, difficult to apply.…”

A Painful Nodule on the Leg: A Quiz

“…Cutaneous LMSs may arise from cutaneous or subcutaneous tissue (4). Cutaneous pilar LMSs are painful neoplasms, which take origin from the arrectori pili muscle (5) and represent about 2-3% of all soft tissue sarcomas (6), with an overall incidence of 0.04%.…”