Prognostic factors and clinical course of extremity soft-tissue sarcomas

Although soft tissue constitutes half of the body weight, soft-tissue sarcomas (STSs) are less common than any other types of tumors.

In this retrospective study, the prognostic factors and clinical courses of 64 patients with extremity STSs treated at our clinic between 1996 and 2012 were investigated.

Of the 64 patients included in this study, 35 (55%) were male and 29 (45%) were female. By the end of follow-up, 29 (45%) of the patients remained alive while 35 (55%) deceased. The overall survival (OS) time of the patients was 89.1 months, and their 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates were 82.8%, 69.3%, 51.6%, and 39.4%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed the following variables as prognostic factors: tumor stage (P < 0.001), surgical method applied (P = 0.009), radiotherapy (RT) application (P = 0.018), RT dose (P < 0.001), and development of metastasis during follow-up (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed only type of surgery to be a prognostic factor (P = 0.016).

Besides surgery, RT plays a crucial role in the multimodal treatment of STSs and increases local control rates and OS. In our study, stage, surgery, and adjuvant RT were found to be effective factors indicating OS. However, more prospective work in this area is necessary.