Prognosis and surgical outcome of soft tissue sarcoma with malignant fungating wounds

Malignant fungating wounds are ulcerating tumors that infiltrate the overlying skin. Little evidence exists regarding the prognosis or treatment of malignant fungating wound in soft tissue sarcoma. This study aimed to reveal the prognosis and outcome of surgical treatment of malignant fungating wound in soft tissue sarcoma.

We retrospectively reviewed 26 patients with malignant fungating wound in high-grade soft tissue sarcoma between 2005 and 2018. The patients' characteristics, treatments, surgical wound complications, local recurrences and prognoses were analyzed. Overall survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared with that of the control cohort, consisting of 236 consecutive patients with non-malignant fungating wound high-grade soft tissue sarcoma treated during the same period.

Among the 26 patients, undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma was the most common subtype. Twenty-three patients, including 20 (87%) and 3 (13%), underwent limb-salvage surgery and amputation, respectively. Among the 20 patients who underwent limb-salvage surgery, 4 (20%) had surgical wound complications, which required additional surgical procedures. Excluding the patients who underwent palliative surgery, local recurrence occurred in 2 patients (11%). The 5-year overall survival rate for all high-grade malignant fungating wound and non-malignant fungating wound patients was 26.0 and 67.3% (P < 0.0001), respectively.

Malignant fungating wounds in soft tissue sarcoma were significantly associated with a poor prognosis; however, the incidence of surgical complications and local recurrence after limb-salvage surgery was comparable to that of general soft tissue sarcoma cases. Limb-salvage surgery should be considered, if possible, to preserve the patient's quality of life because of the dismal prognosis of patients with malignant fungating wound in soft tissue sarcoma.