Abstract
A case of leiomyosarcoma (LMS) of the palate in an 81-year-old man is reported. The diagnosis was necrotic tissue on examination of a biopsy specimen. Because the tumor was incompletely resected, and LMS was diagnosed postoperatively, subtotal maxillectomy was performed. In 20 days, lymph node metastasis of the neck was detected, and the patient underwent radical neck dissection. However, the patient died of the lung metastasis only 10 months after presentation. Although LMS appears clinically to be well circumscribed, it is highly infiltrative histopathologically. Surgical resection with a wide margin is necessary to avoid recurrence or metastasis of LMS. Six previously reported cases of oral LMS in Japan are reviewed briefly.
