Radiation therapy for high grade soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities treated with limb-preserving surgery.
OBJECTIVE
It is common to use either pre- or post-operative radiation for high grade sarcomas undergoing limb-conserving surgery. Since 1977, we have adopted a selective policy of post-operative radiation, given only in patients with inadequate surgical margins.


METHODS
A retrospective review of 114 patients (1977-1995) with high grade adult soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities was carried out. Amputation was required in 10 (9%). Patients with a minimum surgical margin <2 cm (n=33) received adjuvant radiation (29%).


RESULTS
No complications occurred in 81/114. Wound complications were infection (14%), seroma (6%), haematoma (4%), dehiscence (4%) and skin edge necrosis (2%). Remedial operations were required in four (3%). Overall, the local recurrence rate was 23/114. Patients with surgery only (n=57) or surgery plus systemic chemotherapy (n=24) manifested local recurrence in 15/81 (19%) and those with surgery plus radiation (n=21) or surgery and radiation and chemotherapy (n=12) suffered local recurrence in 8/33. The local recurrence rate for tumours < or =5 cm was 6/32 and for those >5 cm 17/82, P=1.0. The 5 year survival rate was 60% for tumours < or =5 cm (n=32) and 46% for tumours > or =5 cm (n=82) (P=0.009).


CONCLUSIONS
(1) Limb preservation was feasible in 91% of patients. (2) When the local treatment modality was surgery alone ('wide' margins) the local recurrence rate was 19%, and when it was surgery plus radiation (narrow margins) it was 24%. (3) Selective use of radiation (in patients with narrow margins) and reliance on surgery alone in cases amenable to wide resection may be a legitimate alternative to universal application of radiation with conservative resection.
Karakousis
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CP
State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Kaleida Health, Millard Fillmore Gates Hospital, Buffalo, NY, 14209, USA. ckarakousis@kaleidahelth.org
Zografos
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GC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005121:Extremities; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D023821:Limb Salvage / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011336:Probability; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome