Outcomes and prognostic factors in primary intrathoracic soft tissue sarcoma

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Thoracic Surgery
• Sarcoma Research

Background:

• Intrathoracic soft tissue sarcomas are rare, heterogeneous tumors with complex management.
• Limited data exists to guide treatment strategies for these challenging cases.
• Anatomical complexity and delayed diagnosis contribute to treatment difficulties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate clinical outcomes in patients with intrathoracic soft tissue sarcomas.
• To identify prognostic factors influencing survival and recurrence in this patient cohort.
• To analyze data from a high-volume referral sarcoma center.

Main Methods:

• Bi-institutional retrospective cohort study (2007-2022).
• Analysis of histopathologically confirmed intrathoracic soft tissue sarcomas from prospective registries.
• Assessment of overall survival (OS), local recurrence (LR), and distant metastasis (DM) using Kaplan-Meier, cumulative incidence, and Cox regression.

Main Results:

• 49 patients analyzed; 81.6% presented with localized disease.
• Median OS was 37.1 months for localized vs. 5.9 months for metastatic cases.
• Age >65, metastatic disease, higher tumor grade, and specific locations (lung, pleura, diaphragm) were associated with worse outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Intrathoracic soft tissue sarcomas exhibit high local and distant recurrence rates.
• Prognosis is negatively impacted by older age, metastatic presentation, higher grade, and certain tumor locations.
• Multi-institutional studies are crucial for refining risk stratification and treatment protocols for these rare tumors.