Uterine sarcomas usually recur within three years of treatment and may develop in the vagina, pelvis, lymph nodes , liver and lungs. Recurrences of leiomyosarcomas are usually distant, with only 5 percent confined to the pelvis. Recurrences of low-grade stromal sarcomas can occur late, sometimes 10 years after initial treatment. Although pelvic recurrences are the most common, it can recur in the abdominal cavity or in the lungs.
Common symptoms of recurrent cancer include vaginal bleeding or discharge, pain in the pelvis, abdomen, back or legs, swelling in the legs or abdomen, chronic cough or weight loss.
Treatment There is no standard therapy for recurrent disease.
• Chemotherapy has been used with variable effectiveness but rarely leads to a cure.
• Women with localized disease in the pelvis sometimes benefit from radiation therapy and occasionally by the
removal of the pelvic organs (pelvic exenteration).
• Women with low-grade endometrial stromal sarcomas might benefit from progestational hormone or
