Long-term results of extremity soft tissue sarcomas limb-sparing surgery and radiotherapy

Abstract

Objective: To assess the prognostic factors and results of limb sparing surgery and postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) in patients with non-metastatic soft tissue sarcomas (STS) of the extremities. Methods: Between 1980-2007, 114 extremity-located STS treated with PORT were analyzed retrospectively. Tumors were mostly localized in the lower extremities (71,9%). The median radiotherapy (RT) dose was 60.9 Gy. Chemotherapy was administered to 37.7% of the patients. Tumor sizes were between 3-26 cm (median 7 cm). The three most frequent histological types included undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (26.3%), liposarcoma (25.4%), and synovial sarcoma (13.2%). The median follow-up for all patients was 60 months, and 81 months for survivors. Results: The 5- and 10-year local control (LC) rates were 77% and 70.4%, respectively; actuarial survival rates for 5 and 10 years were 71.8% and 69.1%, respectively. Increasing the dose above 60 Gy for all patients and the patients with positive margins demonstrated a clear benefit on 5-year LC (p=0.03 and p=0.04, respectively). Based on multivariate analysis, the addition of chemotherapy and RT dose were independent prognostic factors for LC. A recurrent presentation significantly affects the disease-free survival. Conclusions: PORT for STS of the extremities provides good long-term disease control with acceptable toxicity in a multidisciplinary approach.