Smooth muscle cancer. Coloured computed tomography (CT) scan of the heart (top) and superior vena cava (SVC, centre left) of a 68 year old woman, from

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Smooth muscle cancer. Coloured computed tomography (CT) scan of the heart (top) and superior vena cava (SVC, centre left) of a 68 year old woman, from below. The SVC is the body's principal vein. There is a large mass (purple) invading the SVC and the right atrium of the heart. This is a malignant (cancerous) tumour, called a leiomyosarcoma. It grows from smooth muscle, a layer of involuntary muscle that lines the inside of many internal surfaces of the body.

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Photo credit: © ZEPHYR/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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