ABSTRACT
Uterine sarcomas are either pure sarcomas derived from mesenchymal elements (endometrial stromal cells or smooth muscle cells) or mixed tumors composed of epithelial and mesenchymal elements. In malignant mixed tumors, both components are usually malignant (carcinosarcoma). They have historically been thought of and treated as uterine sarcomas, but presently the view is that they are metaplastic carcinomas in the majority of cases. Rare sarcomas comprise heterologous sarcomas; in these the sarcomatous element is one that is usually associated with an organ other than the uterus such as rhabdomyosarcomas.
