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Adjuvant Radiation for Stage II-B Soft Tissue Sarcoma of the Extremity

From the Departments of Radiation Oncology, Biostatistics, and Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY.

Address reprint requests to Kaled M. Alektiar, MD, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, 1275 York Ave, New York, NY 10021; email: alektiak{at}mskcc.org

PURPOSE: Adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) has been shown to improve local control in patients with high-grade soft tissue sarcoma (STS) of the extremity. This study sought to define the optimal management in patients with stage II-B (high-grade, size 5 cm) tumors.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between July 1982 and December 1998, 204 adult patients with primary stage II-B STS underwent limb-sparing surgery with negative microscopic margins. Eighty-eight patients (43%) received RT; 116 (57%) did not. The RT and no-RT groups were balanced with regard to age, site (upper v lower extremity), whether patients had prior unplanned excision, and location (central, ie, shoulder/groin v noncentral). The RT group had more deep tumors (P = .03). Adjuvant RT was delivered with brachytherapy in 60% and external-beam radiation in 40% of patients.

RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 67 months, the 5-year local control, distant relapse-free survival, and disease-specific survival rates were 82%, 80%, and 88%, respectively. There was no significant difference in local control between the RT and no-RT groups (84% v 80%, respectively, P = .3). Tumor depth, site, and prior unplanned excision did not correlate with local control. The only independent predictors of poor local control were central tumor location (relative risk [RR] = 3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2 to 7; P = .005) and age more than 50 years (RR = 6; 95% CI, 2 to 13; P = .001).

CONCLUSION: In this retrospective study, adjuvant RT did not significantly improve local control in patients with stage II-B STS of the extremity. The outcome of patients with central tumor location was poor, and efforts to identify the optimal local treatment approach for such patients are warranted.

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