title: Long-term salvageability for patients with locally recurrent soft-tissue sarcomas.
abstract: Between 1971 and 1988, 39 patients were referred because of local recurrence of soft-tissue sarcomas and data from their patient records were analyzed to determine the parameters governing local recurrence. Mean follow-up was 11.1 years, with a mean time to local recurrence of 22 months. Twenty-one patients had local recurrence only, without metastatic disease. Salvage was provided for 14 (67%) of these patients after reexcision of local recurrence, and all 14 patients remained free of disease (mean follow-up, 112 months). We conclude that (1) excisional biopsy of tumors larger than 3 cm leads to potential contamination of clean tissue planes, limits ability to achieve an adequate margin of resection, and may compromise the definitive excision, and (2) in patients with local recurrence only, there is a high rate of long-term salvage (67% for follow-up of 9.3 years) after radical compartmental excision with or without postoperative radiation therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Brigham & Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Antman
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Corson
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Eberlein
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001706:Biopsy / Q000592:standards; D001900:Boston / Q000453:epidemiology; D002173:Cancer Care Facilities; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000592:standards; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016879:Salvage Therapy / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents