title: Synovial sarcomas of the head and neck: comparative analysis with synovial sarcoma of the extremities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study analyzed synovial sarcoma (SS) of the head and neck in order to identify features associated with survival improvement and compared them with the survival of SS of limbs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical charts and histopathologic material with analysis for SYT/SSX gene rearrangement of 16 patients were reviewed. The clinicopathologic features and their association with survival were analyzed and compared with 174 SS of limbs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average age was 24.2 years (range 21-86). Eight cases occurred in each sex. The most frequent site was the parapharyngeal space (PPS). The mean tumor size was 5.38cm. Sixty-nine percent occurred in Stages II-III and 9% in Stage IV. Fifteen cases were excised: R0 resection in seven (46.7%) cases and R1 resection in eight (53.3%) cases. No patient with R0 resection has recurred, and three patients (37.5%) with R1 resection have recurred (p=0.035). Patients with R0 surgery had better survival rates compared to those who received other treatments (p=0.045). SS of head and neck showed a 5-year survival rate of 58% compared to 44.6% of the limbs (p=0.450).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The most prevalent location was the PPS. Surgical resection with clear margins correlated with low recurrence. Head and neck sarcomas had similar survival rates compared to sarcomas of limbs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, México, D.F., Mexico.
authors.forename: Rosa Angélica
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Salcedo-Hernández
authors.forename: Leonardo Saúl
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Lino-Silva
authors.forename: Kuauhyama
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Luna-Ortiz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005121:Extremities; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion / Q000235:genetics; D010610:Pharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013584:Sarcoma, Synovial / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion; C116512:SYT-SSX fusion protein