The diagnostive evaluation and surgical management of soft tissue sarcomas

A retrospective case note study of 40 patients presenting with soft tissue sarcomas at different sites was carried out covering the period between January 1985 and December 1995 at the University Teaching Hospital, Jos Nigeria. The hospital incidence was 4 cases a year males are afflicted more often than females in a ratio of 2:1. The mean age at presentation was 30 years with a range of (4-65) years. The main modes of presentation were tumefaction 95% and ulceration 50%; the mean duration of symptoms before presentation was about 6 months. Lesions were distributed mainly in the lower limbs in 65% of cases; thirty-four percent of the total number of cases were low grade while 48% were high grade malignant lesions. Incisional biopsy was the most favoured method of confirming the diagnosis in these lesions while surgery was the mainstay of treatment in stages 1 and 2 lesions. Radical excision especially in the lower limb is advocated for curative purposes. The results of palliative surgery are no doubt gratifying to patients with advanced lesions but the relative place of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy in the 5-year survival of these patients continued to be conjectural. Prospective studies are badly needed in this respect.