Management of Extremity Soft Tissue Sarcomas

Soft tissue sarcomas in the elbow region and influence of their anatomical features in their treatment. Experience in the Unit of Musculoskeletal Tumours

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Soft tissue sarcomas are exceptionally located in the elbow region. The aim of this work was to study the soft tissue sarcomas of the elbow region, their epidemiological and histopathological characteristics, anatomical features, the treatment performed, and the results obtained, in a unit of musculoskeletal tumours.

METHODS

Retrospective review of ten patients with a mean follow-up of 65.0 ± 11.9 (range 21-132) months with soft tissue sarcomas located in the elbow region operated in our centre between 2008 and 2016.

RESULTS

Mean age was 60.8 ± 6.7 years. Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma was the most frequent histological diagnosis. Limb preservation surgery was performed in 90% of patients. Three patients were previously operated without following surgical oncology guidelines in another hospital, and this was statistically related to the need for more than one surgery to control the disease. R1 margin was obtained in 5 patients and R0 in another 5. Adjuvant radiotherapy was used in 7 cases. In 4 patients, subsequent surgery was performed for local or systemic control of the disease. Local recurrence occurred in 3 cases and in 5 there was distant disease.

CONCLUSION

The elbow region presents difficulty in achieving wide margins due to the proximity of neurovascular structures, adjuvant and / or neoadjuvant therapies could play an important role in performing limb preservation surgery. It would be advisable to refer these tumours to specialized units with multidisciplinary teams.

Vascular reconstruction using autologous vs synthetic graft for patients with extremity soft-tissue sarcoma involving the major vessels

OBJECTIVE

Arterial reconstruction after radical limb-sparing resection of extremity soft-tissue sarcoma (STS) involving great vessels is necessary. However, there is no agreement upon the optimal vascular substitute. This study prospectively evaluated the major vascular reconstructions in extremity STS surgery with vascular involvement.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between June 2017 and August 2019, 29 patients having extremity STS with major vascular reconstruction were enrolled. Recurrent, metastatic STSs or STSs of vascular origin were excluded. Patients were non-randomly divided into two groups according to the type of arterial substitute: group I, autologous graft (16 patients) and group II, synthetic graft (13 patients). Graft patency, postoperative morbidity, and patient and limb survival were analyzed.

RESULTS

The mean follow-up was 12 months (range, 6-26). Early postoperative complications and overall survival were nonsignificantly different between groups. The 1-year primary patency was 92.85% vs 90% in groups I vs II, respectively, P = .704. Graft occlusion was nonsignificantly greater in the synthetic group, P = .107. Limb salvage was 93.75% in group I compared with 92.3% in group II, P = .87.

CONCLUSIONS

Graft choice should be based on autologous vein suitability regarding its length and caliber. If such requirements are not available, synthetic substitutes can be used with close surveillance of patency.

Clinical Characteristics and Surgical Outcomes of Limb-Sparing Surgery with Vascular Reconstruction for Soft Tissue Sarcomas

BACKGROUND

The standard treatment for lower extremity soft tissue sarcoma (STS) is limb-sparing surgery. For a small subset of patients, concomitant vascular reconstruction may be required to preserve limb viability and function while completely excising the tumor with an adequate resection margin. The aim of this study was to evaluate the surgical outcomes and clinical characteristics of patients with STS of the extremities requiring vascular reconstructions.

METHODS

From January 2002 through December 2014, 13 patients with limb STS presenting with vascular invasion underwent surgical resection, followed by vascular reconstruction. The medical records such as demographics, histopathological findings, complications, success of vascular reconstruction, and clinical and oncological outcomes were retrospectively reviewed from a prospectively collected clinical database.

RESULTS

With a mean follow-up period of 80.6 months, a total of 24 vascular reconstruction procedures (1 only arterial, 1 only venous, and 11 both arterial and venous) were performed. Contralateral great saphenous vein graft was the conduit of choice for vascular replacement. Five graft thromboses were observed in 4 patients. Arterial occlusion occurred in two cases, and venous bypasses occluded in three patients. The overall five-year patency for arterial and venous reconstructions was 84.6% and 75.2%, respectively. The mean survival period of patients was 105.5 months, with a 5-year disease-free survival rate and overall survival rate of 59.3% and 68.4%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Vascular resection and reconstruction for STSs of extremity can be safely performed with acceptable short- and long-term surgical and oncological outcomes. Regardless of the surgical procedure, amputation or limb-sparing surgery, the primary focus should be to adhere to strict oncological principles. In addition, because of the complexity of these tumors, an appropriate preoperative planning and meticulous multidisciplinary approach are also crucial.

Management of soft tissue tumors of the upper extremity: a review

Introduction: Management of malignant tumors of the hand and wrist is challenging and is generally approached by limb salvage or amputation. With advances in care, amputation has been superseded by limb salvage as the treatment of choice.

Methods: A narrative literature review was performed to identify articles on the topic of management of soft tissue tumors of the upper extremity, including surgical management, adjuvant radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.

Results: A total of 29 articles were selected. Earlier reports favored radical tumor resection, which often led to amputation, whereas later articles demonstrated limb salvage as the preferential treatment modality.

Conclusions: Given the detrimental effects on function and psychologic outcomes, amputation has been superseded by limb salvage in most cases, although it can occasionally be the only option. A variety of adjuvant therapies have been described, including radiation or brachytherapy, chemotherapy, and regional hyperthermia. Radiation treatment, and specifically brachytherapy, is beneficial to select patients. Controversy surrounds chemotherapy in certain subtypes, and regional hyperthermia requires further investigation.

Looking for answers: the current status of neoadjuvant treatment in localized soft tissue sarcomas

PURPOSE

Sarcomas are a rare and heterogeneous variant of cancer. The standard of care treatment involves surgical resection with radiation in high-risk patients. Despite appropriate treatment approximately 50 % of patients will suffer and die from recurrent disease. The purpose of this article is to review the current evidence concerning the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with or without radiation in soft tissue sarcomas.

METHODS

An in-depth literature search was conducted using Ovid Medline and PubMed.

RESULTS

The most active chemotherapeutic agents in sarcoma are anthracyclines and ifosfamide. Adjuvant chemotherapy trials show only minimal benefit. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy offers the potential advantage of reducing the extent of surgery, increasing the limb salvage rate, early exposure of micrometastatic disease to chemotherapy, and assessment of tumor response to chemotherapy. Some retrospective and phase II trials suggest a benefit to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Unfortunately, no clearly positive phase III prospectively randomized trials exist for neoadjuvant therapy in soft tissue sarcomas.

CONCLUSIONS

The current neoadjuvant chemotherapy trials that do exist are heterogeneous resulting in conflicting results. However, neoadjuvant chemotherapy with or without radiation can be considered in patients with high-risk disease in an attempt to improve long-term outcomes.

Study of Preoperative Radiotherapy for Sarcomas of the Extremities with Intensity-Modulation, Image-Guidance and Small Safety-margins (PREMISS)

Background

The aim of the trial is to demonstrate that with the use of modern IMRT/IGRT and reduction of safety margins postoperative wound complications can be reduced.

Methods/ Design

The trial is designed as a prospective, monocentric clinical phase II trial. The treatment is performed with helical IMRT on the Tomotherapy HiArt System© or with RapidArc© IMRT as available. All treatments are performed with 6 MV photons and daily online CT-based IGRT.

A dose of 50 Gy in 2 Gy single fractions (5 fractions per week) is prescribed. Restaging including MRI of the primary tumor site as well as CT of the thorax/abdomen is planned 4 weeks after RT. PET-examinations or any other imaging can be performed as required clinically. In cases of R1 resection, brachytherapy is anticipated in the 2nd postoperative week. Brachytherapy catheters are implanted into the tumor bed depending on the size and location of the lesion. Surgery is planned 5–6 weeks after completion of neoadjuvant RT. All patients are seen for a first follow-up visit 2 weeks after wound healing is completed, thereafter every 3 months during the first 2 years. The endpoints of the study are evaluated in detail during the first (2 weeks) and second (3 months) follow-up. Functional outcome and QOL are documented prior to treatment and at year 1 and 2. Treatment response and efficacy will be scored according to the RECIST 1.1 criteria. A total patient number of 50 with an expected 20 % rate of wound complications were calculated for the study, which translates into a 95 % confidence interval of 10.0-33.7 % for wound complication rate in a binomial distribution.

Discussion

The present study protocol prospectively evaluates the use of IMRT/IGRT for neoadjuvant RT in patients with soft tissue sarcomas of the extremity with the primary endpoint wound complications, which is the major concern with this treatment sequence. Besides complications rates, local control rates and survival rates, as well as QOL, functional outcome and treatment response parameters (imaging and pathology) are part of the protocol. The data of the present PREMISS study will enhance the current literature and support the hypothesis that neoadjuvant RT with IMRT/IGRT offers an excellent risk-benefit ratio in this patient population.

Trial registration

NCT01552239

Endoprosthetic reconstruction for large extremity soft-tissue sarcoma with juxta-articular bone involvement: functional and survival outcome

BACKGROUND

Large extracompartmental limb soft-tissue sarcoma with juxta-articular bone involvement poses major challenges in disease management. Radical resection of sarcoma frequently requires concomitant bone resection and reconstruction. We describe the clinical outcomes of endoprosthetic reconstruction and the complications associated with this procedure.

METHODS

Thirty patients with soft-tissue sarcomas with local juxta-articular bone involvement in an extremity underwent surgery at our center between May 2004 and October 2011, 20 for primary sarcomas and 10 for local recurrences. Clinical data from those patients were analyzed retrospectively. The bone affected included the proximal femur (10 cases), the distal femur (nine cases), the proximal humerus (eight cases), the proximal tibia (two cases), or the total femur (one case). Wide excision of the tumor and the bone tissue involved was performed on every patient, followed by reconstruction of the subsequent defect using tumor endoprosthesis. All patients underwent regular follow-up for an average of 25 (range, 3-84) mo.

RESULTS

Three patients had poor wound healing. Implant fractures leading to additional revisions occurred in two cases. Local tumor recurrence developed in four patients. There were 15 patients with lung metastases, and 11 patients died of disseminated metastases. In the latest follow-up, 14 patients survived free of disease and five were alive with tumors. The mean Musculoskeletal Tumor Society functional analysis for proximal femur, distal femur, proximal tibia, proximal humerus, and total femur were 90%, 82%, 73%, 71%, and 60%, respectively. The 2- and 5- y survival rates were 61.6% and 30.0%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Endoprosthetic reconstruction could yield satisfactory results as a wide excision and limb salvage therapeutic strategy for patients with large extracompartmental soft-tissue sarcomas with juxta-articular bone involvement. Acceptable complications occurred in the present report.

[Vascular reconstruction for limb preservation during sarcoma surgery: a case series and a management algorithm]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the results of vascular reconstruction in soft tissue sarcoma surgery and establish an algorithm based on current evidence.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We studied patients undergoing soft-tissue sarcoma in a tertiary hospital. A retrospective review of 8 cases was carried out, analysing the demographics, surgical planning, complications, disease-free survival and bypass patency.

RESULTS

Successful limb preservation was observed in all patients, and the bypass remained patent in all cases. The mean follow-up was 38.4 months average, with 87.5% survival and no recurrences.

CONCLUSIONS

The involvement of major vascular structures in soft tissue sarcomas of the limbs does not necessarily exclude resectability. In selected cases, resection is possible with vascular reconstruction and limb preservation. However, multidisciplinary planning is needed.

The Natural History and Prognosticative Factors of Adult Extremity Soft Tissue Sarcomas: An Asian Perspective

Introduction: We describe the natural history of Asian adult soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) in the extremities and predict prognosticative factors for local recurrence, metastasis and tumour-related death. Materials and Methods: Between January 1999 and May 2009, 67 adult patients with fi rst presentation STSs of extremity sites underwent surgical treatment at a single institution. The associations between patient demographics and pathological features with local recurrence, metastasis and mortality were studied using univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: The mean age of our patients was 52.4 years with most presentations occurring in the thigh. Majority of Asian STSs were high grade (61.3%) and large tumours with 81.0% being >5 cm. Stages Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb, IIc, III and IV accounted for 6.6%, 6.6%, 26.2%, 11.5%, 3.3%, 42.6% and 3.3% of presentations, respectively. Patients were followed-up for a mean period of 45.9 months. On univariate analysis, high tumour grade and advanced stage (IIc to IV) were predictive of local recurrence and metastasis. Deep lesions were more likely to recur but not metastasise or cause death. Age, sex, size, and margin positivity were not predictive for all end-points. On multivariate testing, only pathological high grade was associated adversely with local recurrence [odds ratio (OR) = 10.0, 95% CI, 1.2 to 84.9, P = 0.035], metastasis (OR = 12.7, 95% CI, 2.46 to 65.2, P = 0.002) and mortality (OR = 16.2, 95% CI, 1.95 to 135.0, P = 0.010). Conclusions: Asian adult extremity soft tissue sarcomas present late and are most commonly found in the thigh. High pathological grade is a consistent independent predictor for local failure, distant spread and tumour-related death. Our results reaffirm the current thinking that tumour biology is of primary importance in determining patient outcomes. Key words: Extremities, Prognostic factors, Natural history, Outcomes

Surgery for retroperitoneal soft tissue sarcomas: aggressive re-resection of recurrent disease is possible

INTRODUCTION

Retroperitoneal soft tissue sarcomas represent a relatively rare and complex therapeutic problem where surgery forms the mainstay of treatment and is technically demanding. In this study, we review a single UK centre's experience with the surgical management of retro-peritoneal soft tissue sarcoma.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We present analysis of data on patients treated between 1997 and 2006, our first 75 patients. Data collected from the Access database, included patient demographics, staging modalities, peri-operative details, treatment, outcome, pathological diagnosis and subsequent complications.

RESULTS

A total of 75 patients (M:F, 44:31) underwent 115 resectional procedures as part of the management of retroperitoneal soft-tissue sarcoma. There were 12 major complications for the 115 procedures (morbidity of 8.69%). The 30-day operative mortality was zero and the 90-day mortality rate was 1.33% (1/75). Follow-up ranged from 16-131 months. The median disease-free survival was 69 months (range, 59-78 months). Recurrences developed in 46 patients; median time to overall recurrence was 13 months (range, 3-71 months). Of these 46, 22 developed localised recurrence, which was amenable to further resection. In the cohort of patients with recurrent disease, median survival in those who underwent surgery was 53 months (range, 30-76 months) and median survival in those who did not undergo surgery was 30 months (range, 18-41 months) and this difference was statistically significant (log rank, P = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Extensive resectional surgery with minimal morbidity, devoid of mortality is feasible in the treatment of retroperitoneal sarcoma. Development of recurrent disease is a significant factor influencing survival; however, localised recurrences are amenable to surgery and this can lead to improved survival.

Synovial sarcoma of anterior abdominal wall

Sarcomas are connective tissue tumours, and can arise in any part of the body, more commonly in the extremities. Histological types and clinical presentation of truncal sarcomas are similar to those seen in any other anatomic locations. Radiological investigations may be contributory, but biopsy is conclusive. Surgical resection with wide margins is the initial standard treatment, however a multimodal approach including radiotherapy and chemotherapy is often favoured. Because of the high recurrence rate regardless of therapy, close follow-up is imperative. We present a case of synovial sarcoma of the anterior abdominal wall.

Genomic expression, chemotherapy response, and molecular targets in soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities: promising strategies for treatment selection

Neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy in soft tissue sarcomas is still controversial, especially in regards to the use of chemotherapy. The identification of predictive factors is crucial to avoid the use of chemotherapy in patients with tumors that carry genetic characteristics associated with resistance. Focusing on gene expression data, we performed a review of the actual state of knowledge in molecular predictive factors for chemotherapy response and new targets of therapy in extremity sarcomas.