title: Prognosticators in thigh soft tissue sarcomas.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In sarcoma patients the roles of smoking history, family cancer history, and leukoreduced blood transfusions have not been studied and the effect of preoperative radiation on blood loss has not been examined.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-seven patients with non-metastatic and non-recurrent thigh sarcomas surgically treated at the Cleveland Clinic were identified. Among patient variables studied were: close family history of cancer, perioperative transfusion history, smoking history, and radiation history. Median follow-up for the survivors was 3.2 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that tumor grade, transfusion >3 U (P = 0.022), and pre- or post-operative radiation therapy (P = 0.041) were risk factors for distant metastasis. Tumor grade (P = 0.008), positive smoking history (P = 0.039), and >3 U of non-leukoreduced blood transfused (P = 0.037) were risk factors for death of any-cause. Close family history of cancer correlated with having a grade 3 sarcoma (P = 0.044). Neoadjuvant radiotherapy correlated with >3 U of blood transfused (P = 0.001) and biopsy performed at the treating institution led to a significant decrease in rate of recurrence (P = 0.016).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We present novel findings in terms of transfusions, family history of cancer and site of initial biopsy in sarcoma patients.
authors.affiliation: Case Western Reserve University Medical School, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Anne E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Newcomer
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dylinski
authors.forename: Brian P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Rubin
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Joyce
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hoeltge
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bershadsky
authors.forename: Steven A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Lietman
mesh_terms: D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant / Q000009:adverse effects; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D013848:Thigh; D065227:Transfusion Reaction; D016896:Treatment Outcome