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Head and Neck Soft Tissue Sarcomas Treated with Radiation Therapy
Lucas K Vitzthum1, Lindsay C Brown2, Jessica W Rooney2
1Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.
Rare Tumors
|July 22, 2016
Summary
Radiation therapy (RT) is crucial for head and neck soft tissue sarcomas (HNSTSs). This study found angiosarcomas and older age impact survival outcomes in HNSTS patients treated with RT.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Radiation Oncology
- Surgical Oncology
Background:
- Head and neck soft tissue sarcomas (HNSTSs) are rare and diverse malignancies.
- Radiation therapy (RT) plays a significant role in achieving local tumor control (LC) for HNSTSs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate treatment outcomes and patterns of failure in patients with HNSTSs who received RT.
- To identify predictors of survival and treatment failure in this patient cohort.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of adult patients with HNSTS treated with RT between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2012.
- Assessment of local control (LC), locoregional control (LRC), disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) using Kaplan-Meier estimates.
Main Results:
- Five-year estimates for LC, LRC, DFS, and OS were 87%, 73%, 63%, and 83%, respectively.
- Angiosarcomas were associated with significantly worse LC, LRC, DFS, and OS.
- Patients older than 60 years demonstrated lower DFS rates.
Conclusions:
- HNSTSs are a heterogeneous group manageable with diverse RT-based treatment strategies.
- Angiosarcomas represent a subtype with a poorer prognosis, characterized by higher recurrence and mortality rates.
- Age over 60 is a potential negative prognostic factor for disease-free survival in HNSTS patients.
