Background: Soft-tissue sarcomas (STSs) are a heterogeneous group of malignant tumors that can be difficult to treat. This is particularly true after incomplete or unplanned excisions and especially for patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer stage III tumors, who are at high risk for relapse. Numerous studies have shown that an inadequate sarcoma excision is associated with a worse prognosis. However, other reports have suggested an improved prognosis for patients with an initial unplanned excision and subsequent re-excision in comparison with patients who undergo planned primary surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of an unplanned excision on treatment and subsequent oncologic and functional outcomes for patients with stage III extremity STS.
Methods: From the prospectively collected database at a tertiary-referral sarcoma center, all patients with stage III STS of the extremities treated between 1989 and 2010 were identified. Patient records were reviewed to identify patient demographics, tumor details, treatments, complications, and functional and oncologic outcomes.
Results: Five hundred patients with stage III STSs of the extremities were identified, and 94 of these patients (18.8%) were referred after inadequate excisions had been performed elsewhere. All 94 patients with unplanned excisions underwent re-excision in an attempt to achieve clear margins, and 83% of these patients had residual tumor in the re-excision specimen. In the re-excision group, the rates of plastic reconstruction (eg, skin grafts and rotational or free flaps) and amputation were significantly higher in comparison with the rates for patients who underwent a primary planned resection (P = .023 and P = .03, respectively). The rates of local recurrence, metastasis-free survival, and overall survival were not significantly different between the 2 groups, nor were the functional outcomes.
Conclusions: Unplanned excision of stage III STS leads to an unfavorable clinical course and necessitates more extensive surgery. As a result of aggressive re-excision and multidisciplinary treatment, a negative effect on oncologic outcomes cannot be confirmed.
Keywords: clinical outcome; oncologic outcomes; prospective study; recurrence; soft-tissue sarcoma; unplanned excision.
© 2018 American Cancer Society.