Lymph Node Sampling and Survival in Child and Adolescent Extremity Soft-Tissue Sarcoma

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Oncology
• Surgical Oncology
• Sarcoma Research

Background:

• The impact of lymph node sampling (LNS) on disease-specific survival (DSS) in pediatric extremity soft tissue sarcomas (STS) remains unclear.
• Extremity STS represent a significant challenge in pediatric oncology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of LNS on DSS in child and adolescent extremity STS.
• To differentiate the impact of LNS based on sarcoma subtype.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry.
• Inclusion of patients under 20 years old with surgically treated extremity STS.
• Collection and statistical analysis of patient demographics and survival data.

Main Results:

• A total of 1550 patients were analyzed, with an overall 10-year DSS of 74% for extremity STS.
• Lymph node sampling was associated with worse DSS in non-rhabdomyosarcoma STS (79% vs. 84%, P=0.036).
• Conversely, LNS was linked to improved DSS in rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) (64% vs. 49%, P=0.005).

Conclusions:

• Lymph node sampling demonstrates a positive association with improved DSS in pediatric extremity RMS.
• Multivariate analysis indicated no significant correlation between DSS and LNS in pediatric extremity non-RMS STS.