title: Uterine sarcoma: clinicopathological characteristics, treatment and outcome in Iran.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Uterine sarcomas are rare and heterogeneous tumors with histopathological diversity characterized by rapid clinical progression and a poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to investigate clinical and histopathological characteristics together with treatment and outcome of Iranian patients with uterine sarcomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Records of 57 patients with histologically verified uterine sarcoma treated at the Vali-e-Asr Hospital were reviewed (1999-2004).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The lesions were 19 leomyosarcoma (LMSs), 17 malignant mixed Mullerian tumors (MMMT), 16 endometrial stromal sarcomas (ESSs), 3 unspecified sarcomas, 2 rabdomyosarcomas. Median age at diagnosis was 50 (17-81) years. Clinical stages (based on FIGO) were 30 with stage I disease, 9 with stage II, 12 with stage III and 6 with stage IV. Only one patient did not undergo surgery and most cases with LMS and ESS were treated with simple total hysterectomy (STH). Forty patients (out of 57) received adjuvant radiotherapy. The median follow-up period was 19 (2-96) months and median disease free period was 16 (1-86) months. The overall survival rates after 1, 2, and 5 years were 71%, 58% and 52%, respectively. Survival was related to histological type of ESS (p=0.0018), grade I (p=0.0032) and early stage (p=0.045) significantly, but was not linked to postoperative irradiation. However, local recurrence rate was significantly improved after adjuvant radiotherapy. Twenty-one patients had relapse, 16 in the pelvic and 5 in extrapelvic sites.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on the findings in this series, prognosis is dependent on histopathological subtype, grade and tumor stage. Adjuvant radiotherapy decreases local recurrence rate, but without significant impact on survival.
authors.affiliation: Gynecologic Oncology Department, Vali-e-Asr Hospital, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ghaemmaghami
authors.forename: Mojgan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karimi-Zarchi
authors.forename: Mitra Modares
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gilani
authors.forename: Azamsadat
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mousavi
authors.forename: Nadereh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Behtash
authors.forename: Mahsa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghasemi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007044:Hysterectomy / Q000379:methods; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007492:Iran; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008875:Middle Aged; D018200:Mixed Tumor, Mullerian / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011336:Probability; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D018203:Sarcoma, Endometrial Stromal / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D055815:Young Adult