The surgical treatment and outcome of soft-tissue sarcoma
J. S. Abbas, E. D. Holyoke, R. Moore and C. P. Karakousis
Cases of 251 patients with soft-tissue sarcoma of the extremities, trunk,
head and neck, and retroperitoneum were reviewed. The overall five-, ten-,
and 15-year survival rates were 45%, 30%, and 24%, respectively. The
five-year survival rates after wide soft-tissue resections, local excision,
and amputation were 59%, 42%, and 39%, respectively. Factors that
significantly affected prognosis were tumor size, histologic type, local
extent of the tumor, and the adequacy of the surgical procedure. The local
recurrence rate was 36% after wide resection, 8% after amputation, and 65%
after local excision. Local recurrence alone was treatable and evidenced
overall five- and ten-year survival rates of 43% and 33%, respectively.
Amputation was the most effective method to treat local recurrences in the
extremities. Some guidelines are suggested to select high-risk patients for
adjuvant treatment.
