Prognostic factors, treatment, and survival in cutaneous pleomorphic sarcoma

Limited information exists on the influence of demographics, tumor characteristics, and treatment on survival in cutaneous pleomorphic sarcoma (CPS).

To describe incidence rates and prognostic factors affecting survival in CPS.

National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data (1972-2013) was analyzed for 2423 patients with CPS diagnoses.

The age-adjusted incidence rate was 0.152 cases/100,000 person-years and was 4.5-fold higher in male than female patients. Male sex, white race, and increasing age >40 years were significantly associated with decreased overall survival. Head and neck tumors, tumors >15 mm, and tumors with grade III or IV histology were associated with significantly decreased survival. Surgical excision had a survival benefit compared with no treatment. Radiation therapy did not provide a survival benefit. Patients with localized disease had the greatest survival followed by regional and distant disease.

Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data might not be reflective of all CPS patients. Recurrences, restaging, or other nonmortality events over time were not tracked.

Tumor size, grade, sex, age at diagnosis, and race appear to influence survival as prognostic factors in CPS. Surgical tumor extirpation provides a survival benefit over no treatment whereas primary or adjuvant radiation does not provide a survival benefit.