Lymph node metastases in soft tissue sarcomas: a single center analysis of 1,597 patients.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to examine the clinical course of patients with the rare finding of regional lymph node metastasis (RLNM) from soft tissue sarcoma.


METHODS
Data from 28 out of 1,597 consecutive soft tissue sarcoma patients with RLNM were from the patients' charts and interviewing patients and general practitioners. Survival, including possible influencing factors, was statistically calculated.


RESULTS
RLNM was seen in 21.4% for epithelioid sarcoma and 17.6% for clear cell sarcoma. All other entities presented RLNM rates below 10%. At follow-up after an average of 9.6 years, only three patients were alive with no evidence of disease. Survival was independent from surgical resection status of the primary tumor and the RLNM as well as from adjuvant radiation and chemotherapy. Tumor entity as well as the length of the time period from primary to RLNM affect survival.


CONCLUSIONS
Surgical treatment as well as radiation and chemotherapy may improve survival in selected cases but probably have their value much more in terms of local disease control and improvement life quality of patients who probably already suffer from an aggressive systemic disease at time of nodal involvement.
Daigeler
A
A
Department of Plastic Surgery, Burn Center, Hand Surgery, Sarcoma Reference Center, BG-University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany. adrien.daigeler@rub.de
Kuhnen
C
C
Moritz
R
R
Stricker
I
I
Goertz
O
O
Tilkorn
D
D
Steinstraesser
L
L
Steinau
H U
HU
Lehnhardt
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D055815:Young Adult