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Updated: May 11, 2026
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Establishment of a Primary Culture of Patient-derived Soft Tissue Sarcoma
Published on: April 11, 2018
How long should we follow patients with soft tissue sarcomas?
Chigusa Sawamura1, Seiichi Matsumoto, Takashi Shimoji
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45, Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, 113-8510, Tokyo, Japan, sawaorth@tmd.ac.jp.
Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research
|May 30, 2013
Summary
This study found that most soft tissue sarcoma recurrences and metastases occur within 10 years after surgery. Extended followup beyond this period is unlikely to detect new cases, suggesting current guidelines may be too long.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Surgical Oncology
- Medical Statistics
Background:
- Current guidelines for soft tissue sarcoma (STS) followup lack robust evidence.
- Recommended followup schedules vary based on tumor grade but are not strongly supported.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the timing of local recurrence and distant metastases after surgical excision of STS.
- To compare recurrence and metastasis timing based on tumor size and grade.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 867 patients treated surgically for STS between 1978 and 2008.
- Analysis of tumor characteristics (grade, size) and patient followup data up to 15 years post-surgery.
- Calculation of incidence rates for local recurrence and metastases per 1000 person-years.
Main Results:
- Local recurrences occurred at a median of 19 months, with 95% by 8.6 years.
- Distant metastases occurred at a median of 12 months, with 95% by 7.3 years.
- High-grade tumors showed earlier recurrence/metastasis; low-grade tumors recurred at a constant rate.
Conclusions:
- Followup beyond 10 years yields few new cases of local recurrence or metastases.
- Extended monitoring beyond 10 years may not be warranted for soft tissue sarcomas.
