title: Prognostic factors and oncological outcomes of 122 head and neck soft tissue sarcoma patients treated at a single institution.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Head and neck soft tissue sarcomas (HNSTS) are rare tumors with various histological types displaying different clinical behavior. As a result, prognostic factors of this disease remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic factors and oncological outcomes of HNSTS.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective study included 122 patients with HNSTS who were treated at our institution between 1995 and 2012. Univariate and multivariate analyses using the Cox proportional hazards model were used to determine clinicopathologic characteristics associated with locoregional control (LRC), disease-specific survival (DSS), and overall survival (OS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Rhabdomyosarcoma was the most common tumor type (20 %), followed by dermatofibrosarcoma protuberance (13 %) and angiosarcoma (12 %). In a follow-up of 72 months, the 5-year LRC, DSS, and OS rates were 76, 77, and 75 %, respectively. Univariate analyses showed that age (>60 years), tumor size (>10 cm), nodal metastasis, and overall stage were significant prognostic factors for LRC, DSS, and OS (p < 0.05). Histological grade was also significantly associated with DSS (p = 0.012) and OS (p = 0.002). In multivariate analysis, tumor size and nodal metastasis were independent prognostic factors for LRC (p < 0.05), while age, histological grade, and nodal metastasis remained independent variables for both DSS and OS (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data support that surgical excision of HNSTS contributes to acceptable survival rates. Several factors at diagnosis may be independently associated with recurrence and survival outcomes, and identification of these factors may help in selecting at-risk patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jin Taek
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Jong-Lyel
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Roh
authors.forename: Seon-Ok
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kyung-Ja
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Seung-Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Soon Yuhl
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Sang Yoon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D015996:Survival Rate