Long-term outcomes in extremity soft tissue sarcoma after a pathologically negative re-resection and without radiotherapy.
BACKGROUND
The purpose was to define the rate of local recurrence (LR) and identify prognostic factors for LR in patients with extremity soft-tissue sarcoma (STS) treated with limb-sparing surgery and a pathologically negative re-resection specimen without radiotherapy (RT).


METHODS
A review of the prospective sarcoma database identified 200 patients with primary, nonmetastatic, extremity STS treated with limb-sparing surgery between June 1982 and December 2002 who had a pathologically confirmed negative re-resection. None of the patients had adjuvant RT. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine clinicopathologic factors associated with LR.


RESULTS
With a median follow-up of 82 months the 5-year actuarial LR rate was 9%. Factors associated with higher LR rates on univariate and multivariate analysis were older age, stage III presentation, and histology. The 5-year LR rate was 5% for those<50 compared with 15% for those>or=50 (P=.001). For patients with stage III the LR rate was 26% versus 7% for those with stage I/II (P<.001). On multivariate analysis only age>or=50 (relative risk [RR] 3.3; P=.02) and stage III disease (RR 3.4; P=.01) remained significant predictors for LR. When the cohort of patients was divided into 3 groups based on the number of risk factors present, the 5-year LRs were as follows: no risk factors (stage I/II and<50 years old) 4%, 1 risk factor (stage III or>or=50) 12%, and 2 risk factors (stage III and>or=50) 31% (P<.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with a pathologically negative re-excision represent a heterogeneous group. Whereas the overall rate of local recurrence at 5 years was 9% for the entire cohort, patients with older age and/or stage III disease had a higher rate of LR. Therefore, treatment decisions especially with regard to adjuvant RT should be individualized and not be based solely on the finding of a negative re-resection.
Cahlon
Oren
O
Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10021, USA.
Spierer
Marnee
M
Brennan
Murray F
MF
Singer
Samuel
S
Alektiar
Kaled M
KM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005121:Extremities / Q000601:surgery*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology*; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012086:Reoperation; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D015996:Survival Rate