title: Improved survival for sarcomas of the wrist and hand.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate survival characteristics of malignant hand tumors compared with those occurring in other musculoskeletal locations over a 30-year period.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were identified through a computerized database maintained at the authors' institution over the past 30 years. Each patient's records were reviewed retrospectively. Diagnoses were categorized and survival data for patients with hand malignancies were compared with those of patients having similar tumors in other musculoskeletal sites by using multivariate statistical analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most common malignancies were epitheloid sarcoma, synovial sarcoma, and malignant fibrous histiocytoma. Improved survival during the follow-up period was found for hand malignancies versus those occurring in other musculoskeletal sites as a whole, and this difference was statistically significant. No significant survival benefit was identified for individual tumors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients presenting with primary malignancies of the hand may survive longer than those with similar tumors in other musculoskeletal locations
  
  
  METHODS
  Prognostic, Level II.
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedic Oncology Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA. pjbuecker@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Buecker
authors.forename: Jorge E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Villafuerte
authors.forename: Francis J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Hornicek
authors.forename: Mark C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Gebhardt
authors.forename: Henry J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Mankin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D001900:Boston / Q000453:epidemiology; D019992:Databases as Topic; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019042:Muscle Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000401:mortality*; D015996:Survival Rate