The role of radiotherapy in the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma: a retrospective study 1958--73

Survival and local control data are presented for a series of 109 cases of soft tissue sarcoma treated 1958--73. A five-year minimum follow-up period is available. The two-year and five-year survival rates for the complete series are respectively 80 and 68%. In a comparison of survival results for different histological subgroups we found a 94% two-year survival for liposarcomas compared with 80% for fibrosarcomas and 74% for synovial sarcomas; and five-year survivals of 73, 68 and 51% respectively. Sixty-two per cent of the series achieved local control of the disease after initial treatment, and this figure increased to 83% after further treatment. Eighty-six per cent of tumours of the extremities (66/77) were controlled locally without amputation. Of those in the complete series whose disease recurred, either locally or distantly, 50% experienced this recurrence within one year of initial treatment. In only 7% did the recurrence occur more than five years after initial treatment. These results are encouraging and we conclude that they justify an initial treatment policy of conservative surgery combined with radical radiotherapy.