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CASE REPORT article

Front. Oncol.

Sec. Thoracic Oncology

Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1639131

This article is part of the Research TopicMetabolic and Epigenetic Dynamics in Shaping Tumor MicroenvironmentView all articles

Primary leiomyosarcoma originating from the azygos vein misdiagnosed as tracheal tumor: a case report and literature review

Provisionally accepted
Longfei  ZhuLongfei Zhu1YuJun  WangYuJun Wang2Chunjian  ZuoChunjian Zuo1YuanLin  DengYuanLin Deng1Bin  JiangBin Jiang1*
  • 1Army Medical University Daping Hospital Thoracic Surgery Department, Chongqing, China
  • 2Department of Pathology, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Leiomyosarcomas are uncommon mesenchymal neoplasms. Primary mediastinal leiomyosarcomas are even rarer with only a limited number of cases reported. Given the high potential for recurrence and metastasis, accurate and timely diagnosis become extremely crucial for treatment. Herein, we present a unique case of a 70-year-old asymptomatic male patient with a primary leiomyosarcoma originating from the azygos vein, which was misdiagnosed as a tracheal tumor preoperatively. This report highlights the critical importance of including leiomyosarcoma in the differential diagnosis of mediastinal masses, especially when preoperative pathological findings indicate a spindle cell neoplasm of smooth muscle origin. Early recognition can more effectively assess intraoperative risks, optimize the surgical plan, and are essential to prevent locally invasive growth and potential metastasis. By analyzing the specific case and reviewing relevant literature, this study seeks to enhance our understanding of the diagnosis and treatment of primary mediastinal leiomyosarcoma, derive insights from our clinical experience, and emphasize the importance of maintaining suspicion and prudence among healthcare professionals.

Keywords: Leiomyosarcoma, Azygos Vein, Surgery, case report, Misdiagnose

Received: 18 Jun 2025; Accepted: 10 Oct 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Zhu, Wang, Zuo, Deng and Jiang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Bin Jiang, ray_miller@126.com

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