title: Histopathological grading of soft tissue tumours. Prognostic significance in a prospective study of 278 consecutive cases.
abstract: A consecutive 10-year series of 278 soft tissue sarcomas was prospectively graded, using a system based on the number of mitoses and taking into account parameters such as cellularity, anaplasia, necrosis, and histogenetic type and subtype of tumour. Prognostic factors in relation to metastasis-free survival were studied by uni- and multivariate analysis. Fifty-seven (20.5 per cent) were low-grade tumours, 43 (15.5 per cent) were intermediate, and 178 (64 per cent) were high grade. High-grade tumours were divided into two groups; 80 (29 per cent) grade 3A (= 5-20 mitoses per 10 high power fields (HPF)) and 78 grade 3B (28 per cent) (= more than 20 mitoses/10 HPF); 10 HPF corresponds to 2.5 mm2. Twenty (7.2 per cent) high-grade tumours could not be further subdivided. Grading was found to be the prognostic factor associated with the strongest predictive value. Five-year survival in low-grade and intermediate tumours (95 and 86 percent, respectively) differed significantly (P less than 0.0001) from high grade (50 per cent) and (p = 0.0018) between grade 3A (64 per cent) and grade 3B (41 per cent). Other prognostic indicators of importance in high-grade tumours were age, local recurrence at presentation (primary operation outside the Centre), and localization (superficial vs. deep).
authors.affiliation: Centre for Musculoskeletal Tumours, University Institute of Pathology, Aarhus Amtssygehus, Denmark.
authors.forename: O M
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Høgh
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Ostgaard
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Nordentoft
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sneppen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D013997:Time Factors