[Sarcomas of the uterus: morphological criteria and clinical course (author's transl)]

Sixty-nine cases of uterine sarcoma were reviewed histologically withhh respect to their grade of malignancy. Mitotic activity is the most important criterion of malignancy. A histological grading was performed on the basis of mitotic counts per high power field. Clinical follow-up showed that except for the local extension of the tumor, the prognosis of sarcomas depends greatly on mitotic activity. There is a good correlation in the lower stages I and II between number of mitoses and survival rate. The 5 year survival rate of patients with grades I or II is 77% compared to 41% for grades III and IV. Vascular invasion is not evident in distant metastases in our material. Adjuvant chemotherapy is recommended in clinical stages II-IV and in histological grades III and IV.