Mortality patterns of soft-tissue sarcomas worldwide up to 2018, with predictions for 2025

The epidemiological evidence on soft-tissue sarcoma (STS) mortality is inconsistent in geographic and time coverage. This study provides mortality trends for STSs in selected countries worldwide over the last 2 decades, together with predicted figures for 2025.

We extracted official numbers of certified deaths coded as C47 (i.e. malignant neoplasm of peripheral nerves and autonomic nervous system) and C49 (i.e. malignant neoplasm of other connective and soft tissue) according to the 10th Revision of the International Classification of Disease and population estimates from the WHO and the Pan American Health Organization databases. We computed age-standardized (world standard population) mortality rates (ASMRs). We used joinpoint regression analysis to identify significant changes in trends and to predict death numbers and rates for 2025.

The pattern emerging from the number of deaths and ASMRs up to 2018 shows an increase in most countries in both sexes. Around 2015 to 2018, ASMRs differed by 2.5-fold in both sexes with the highest rates being registered in Central-Eastern Europe, North America and Australia, while the lowest ones in Latin America, Japan, and Korea. In 2025, the number of STS deaths is predicted to increase in most countries and both sexes, and unfavourable rates are predicted in Central Europe in both sexes.

In addition to improvements in STSs registration, unfavourable mortality rates reported in this study reflect inadequate referral of patients with STSs to high-volume multidisciplinary centres, as well as insufficient advancements in STS prevention, diagnosis, and treatments.