title: Adult head and neck soft tissue sarcomas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the outcomes of adult patients with head and neck soft tissue sarcomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Review of 39 patients treated with radiotherapy (RT) alone (6 patients) or combined with surgery (33 patients) with curative intent between December 1966 and February 2003. Follow-up for living patients ranged from 1 to 21 years (median, 8.7 years).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five-year outcomes were as follows: local control, 78%; distant metastasis-free survival, 85%; cause-specific survival, 69%, and overall survival, 63%. Three of 6 patients (50%) treated with definitive RT were locally controlled compared with 27 of 33 patients (82%) treated with surgery and RT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Approximately two thirds of patients with head and neck soft tissue sarcomas are cured with RT alone or combined with surgery. Local recurrence is a significant mode of treatment failure. Outcome is influenced by tumor extent, histologic grade, and resectability.
authors.affiliation: University of Miami School of Medicine, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Susie A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Christopher G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Amdur
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Werning
authors.forename: Douglas B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Villaret
authors.forename: William M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Mendenhall
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005153:Facial Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida / Q000453:epidemiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome