Prognostic factors in alveolar soft part sarcoma: A SEER analysis

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Surgical Oncology
• Cancer Research

Background:

• Alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) is a rare soft tissue malignancy.
• Understanding the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes is crucial for improving patient prognosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients treated for ASPS.
• To analyze the impact of surgical intervention on survival for patients with and without distant metastatic disease (DM).

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Registry to identify patients with ASPS from 1973 to 2012.
• Employed Kaplan-Meier estimates and Cox proportional hazards models to assess survival and identify risk factors.

Main Results:

• Of 251 patients, 43% presented with DM and 67% with locoregional (LR) disease. Overall 5-year survival was 56% (82% for LR, 27% for DM).
• Independent predictors of worse survival included older age, larger tumor size (>10 cm), DM at diagnosis, and truncal primary site.
• For LR disease, surgery plus radiotherapy (RT) improved survival compared to surgery alone (P=0.014). For DM patients, primary site surgery significantly improved survival (P<0.001).

Conclusions:

• ASPS exhibits a high rate of metastasis but a relatively indolent clinical course with prolonged survival.
• Adjuvant RT with surgery is recommended for patients with LR ASPS.
• Surgery is indicated for patients presenting with DM ASPS to improve survival outcomes.