ESMO/European Sarcoma Network Working Group. Soft tissue and visceral sarcomas: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Ann Oncol. 2014;25 Suppl 3:iii102-iii112. [PMID: 25210080 DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdu254]

Candidate Biomarkers for Specific Intraoperative Near-Infrared Imaging of Soft Tissue Sarcomas: A Systematic Review

Simple Summary

Near-infrared imaging of tumors during surgery facilitates the oncologic surgeon to distinguish malignant from healthy tissue. The technique is based on fluorescent tracers binding to tumor biomarkers on malignant cells. Currently, there are no clinically available fluorescent tracers that specifically target soft tissue sarcomas. This review searched the literature to find candidate biomarkers for soft tissue sarcomas, based on clinically used therapeutic antibodies. The search revealed 7 biomarkers: TEM1, VEGFR-1, EGFR, VEGFR-2, IGF-1R, PDGFRα, and CD40. These biomarkers are abundantly present on soft tissue sarcoma tumor cells and are already being targeted with humanized monoclonal antibodies. The conjugation of these antibodies with a fluorescent dye will yield in specific tracers for image-guided surgery of soft tissue sarcomas to improve the success rates of tumor resections.

Abstract

Surgery is the mainstay of treatment for localized soft tissue sarcomas (STS). The curative treatment highly depends on complete tumor resection, as positive margins are associated with local recurrence (LR) and prognosis. However, determining the tumor margin during surgery is challenging. Real-time tumor-specific imaging can facilitate complete resection by visualizing tumor tissue during surgery. Unfortunately, STS specific tracers are presently not clinically available. In this review, STS-associated cell surface-expressed biomarkers, which are currently already clinically targeted with monoclonal antibodies for therapeutic purposes, are evaluated for their use in near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging of STS. Clinically targeted biomarkers in STS were extracted from clinical trial registers and a PubMed search was performed. Data on biomarker characteristics, sample size, percentage of biomarker-positive STS samples, pattern of biomarker expression, biomarker internalization features, and previous applications of the biomarker in imaging were extracted. The biomarkers were ranked utilizing a previously described scoring system. Eleven cell surface-expressed biomarkers were identified from which 7 were selected as potential biomarkers for NIRF imaging: TEM1, VEGFR-1, EGFR, VEGFR-2, IGF-1R, PDGFRα, and CD40. Promising biomarkers in common and aggressive STS subtypes are TEM1 for myxofibrosarcoma, TEM1, and PDGFRα for undifferentiated soft tissue sarcoma and EGFR for synovial sarcoma.

Primary mesenteric sarcomas: Collaborative experience from the Trans-Atlantic Australasian Retroperitoneal Sarcoma Working Group (TARPSWG)

BACKGROUND

Primary mesenteric soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are rare and limited evidence is available to inform management. Surgical resection is challenging due to the proximity of vital structures and a need to preserve enteric function.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) for patients undergoing primary resection for mesenteric STS.

METHODS

The Trans-Atlantic Australasian Retroperitoneal Sarcoma Working Group (TARPSWG) is an intercontinental collaborative comprising specialist sarcoma centers. Data were collected retrospectively for all patients with mesenteric STS undergoing primary resection between 2000 and 2019.

RESULTS

Fifty-six cases from 15 institutions were included. The spectrum of pathology was similar to the retroperitoneum, although of a higher grade. R0/R1 resection was achieved in 87%. Median OS was 56 months. OS was significantly shorter in higher-grade tumors (p = .018) and extensive resection (p < .001). No significant association between OS and resection margin or tumor size was detected. Rates of local recurrence (LR) and distant metastases (DM) at 5 years were 60% and 41%, respectively. Liver metastases were common (60%), reflecting portal drainage of the mesentery.

CONCLUSION

Primary mesenteric sarcoma is rare, with a modest survival rate. LR and DM are frequent events. Liver metastases are common, highlighting the need for surveillance imaging.

Retroperitoneal extra-adrenal myelolipoma misdiagnosed as liposarcoma: A case report

Myelolipomas are rare benign tumors that contain a mix of fatty and hematopoietic tissues. These tumors are frequently seen in the adrenal glands. While extra-adrenal myelolipomas are extremely rare, once identified, they are commonly found in the retroperitoneum––particularly the presacral region. Because of the fat content, these tumors can be easily mistaken for retroperitoneal liposarcomas. We are presenting a case of a 44-year-old female with a pathology proven case of retroperitoneal extra-adrenal myelolipoma that was initially diagnosed by imaging as a retroperitoneal liposarcoma. In this case report, the clinical presentation, imaging findings, operative details and histopathology features are illustrated.

Fertility-sparing management of low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma: analysis of an institutional series, a population-based analysis and review of the literature

Background

Low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma (LGESS) is the second most common malignant mesenchymal tumor of the uterus which usually affects young women. However, the researches on the safety and feasibility of the fertility-sparing management of it are limited.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was performed including 5 women diagnosed with LGESS treated with fertility-sparing management at Qilu Hospital of Shandong University from 2010 to 2019. Besides that, 1,070 patients diagnosed with LGESS in SEER database from 1973 to 2016 were examined. By using the Kaplan-Meier method, survival curves were estimated, and comparisons of statistical significance were performed with the stratified log-rank test within each group.

Results

Five patients with LGESS were enrolled in this study. All patients were submitted to fertility-sparing surgeries, after surgery, they all continued hormonal therapy for one year. Four out of the 5 patients recurred, to be more exact, 3 of them recurred in uterus and the other one in the uterus and iliac vascular region. They all suffered further surgery and all 5 patients were alive at the time of last contact. Besides, among these patients, two conceived naturally and delivered a healthy baby by cesarean section. Among 1,070 patients in SEER database, only 28 (2.6%) patients underwent local tumor excision, including excisional biopsy (39%), myomectomy (25%), laser ablation or excision (4%) and polypectomy (4%). There was no statistical significance was observed among TH±BSO, radical hysterectomy, subtotal hysterectomy and local tumor excision (P=0.29).

Conclusions

Our analysis indicated that for those young LGESS patients who wish to preserve their fertility, the feasibility and safety of fertility-sparing management should be considered after gynecological oncologist and gynecological pathologist making professional decisions.

iCREATE: imaging features of primary and metastatic alveolar soft part sarcoma from the EORTC CREATE study

Background

Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma (ASPS) is a rare, slow-growing, but highly vascular soft tissue sarcoma, characterised by a high rate of metastases at presentation. Although imaging features of the primary are well described, less detail is available on the imaging pattern of metastatic ASPS. The EORTC 90101 (CREATE) study assessed the efficacy of Crizotinib in patients with metastatic ASPS and presents a unique opportunity to describe the imaging phenotype of primary and metastatic ASPS, based on prospectively collected imaging.

Methods

A retrospective review of the staging CT scans of 32 patients with ASPS from the CREATE study was undertaken and the imaging features of primary and metastatic disease were assessed.

Results

Imaging of the primary tumour was available in 7/32 cases (28%). All primary tumours demonstrated marked vascularity with prominent feeding vessels (7/7, 100%). The most frequent sites of metastases included lung (30/32, 94%), nodal (7/32, 22%), bone (5/32, 16%) and muscle/subcutaneous (5/32, 16%). Features of hypervascularity were identified at all sites, more appreciable in the lungs, with feeding vessels frequently demonstrated in pulmonary metastases (21/32, 66%).

Conclusion

Analysis of imaging from the CREATE cohort of patients with metastatic ASPS demonstrates that metastases from ASPS are predominantly hypervascular and demonstrate feeding vessels comparable to primary ASPS, suggesting potential sensitivity of this rare sarcoma for antivascular/antiangiogenic treatment approaches.

Management of the Uncommon Bladder Cancers: A Single-Center Experience over 10 Years

Background

Under the name of uncommon bladder cancers are gathered rare histological entities which represent less than 5% of bladder tumors. There is not a clear and consensual therapeutic management for these entities.

Purpose

To review a single-institution 10-year experience with rare form of bladder cancers detailing the diagnosis, treatment, and patient outcome.

Materials and Methods

We performed a retrospective review of 27 medical records of rare bladder cancer form treated at our center between February 2006 and February 2015. The clinicopathologic features are reported with emphasis on treatment and survival.

Results

Mean patient age was 65.5 ± 20 yr and 70% of patients were males. Smoking background was found in 16 cases, chronic bladder irritation factors were found in 12 cases, and past urinary tract infection was found in 11 cases. The main symptom was total hematuria (93%) causing an anemia in 16 cases. The two mean histological forms were epidermoid carcinoma (37%) and adenocarcinoma (22%). 26% of patients were found to have extended invasive tumors (T4) at diagnosis. Metastatic disease was confirmed in 8 cases. Our patients were managed by a wide range of therapeutic modalities as total cystectomy with bilateral lymph node dissection (63%), palliative chemotherapy (30%), or concomitant radiochemotherapy (7%). 55.6% of patients were alive one year after diagnosis. Epidermoid carcinoma has the best prognosis followed by leiomyosarcoma and sarcomatoid carcinoma. Neuroendocrine carcinoma has the worst outcome. The overall 5-year survival rate is 33.3%.

Conclusion

The rarity and small size of these tumors justify the absence of clear and consensual therapeutic management. No role of total cystectomy concerning the conclusions could be drawn but elements suggest this may be the treatment of choice. The highly aggressive nature of those lesions justifies an aggressive and fast therapy when feasible which gives the best outcomes.

Nomograms Predict Overall Survival and Cancer-Specific Survival in Patients with Fibrosarcoma: A SEER-Based Study

Purpose

Due to the rarity, it is difficult to predict the survival of patients with fibrosarcoma. This study aimed to apply a nomogram to predict survival outcomes in patients with fibrosarcoma.

Methods

A total of 2235 patients with diagnoses of fibrosarcoma were registered in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, of whom 663 patients were eventually enrolled. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses were used to identify independent prognostic factors. Nomograms were constructed to predict 3-year and 5‐year overall survival and cancer‐specific survival of patients with fibrosarcoma.

Results

In univariate and multivariate analyses of OS, age, sex, race, tumor stage, pathologic grade, use of surgery, and tumor size were identified as independent prognostic factors. Age, sex, tumor stage, pathologic grade, use of surgery, and tumor size were significantly associated with CSS. These characteristics were further included to establish the nomogram for predicting 3-year and 5-year OS and CSS. For the internal validation of the nomogram predictions of OS and CSS, the C-indices were 0.784 and 0.801.

Conclusion

We developed the nomograms that estimated 3-year and 5-year OS and CSS. These nomograms not only have good discrimination performance and calibration but also provide patients with better clinical benefits.

Does ovarian preservation have an effect on recurrence of early stage low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma?

Surgical treatment of low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma consists of hysterectomy. The role of oophorectomy is yet to be established. We aimed to examine the effect of preserving the ovaries on the pattern of recurrences in patients with stage I disease. Thirty-four patients with stage I low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma were retrospectively analysed. Based on ovarian preservation the whole cohort was divided into two groups. Recurrence (liver, lung, groin and bone) was detected in 4 (11.8%) cases. No significant differences in overall survival or disease-free survival (DFS) were observed between the ovarian preservation and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) groups. Subset analysis revealed no significant difference in DFS between the ovarian preservation and BSO groups in the premenopausal arm. And also, the performance of pelvic (n = 2) or para-aortic lymphadenectomy (n = 6) or adjuvant hormonal therapy did not alter DFS significantly. The 5-year DFS rate for the group which received adjuvant radiotherapy was 62.5 and 94.4% for those which did not (p = .014). Preserving the ovaries had no adverse effect on the recurrence of stage I disease.IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known on this subject? Due to the rarity of the disease and the common postoperative diagnosis, only retrospective studies have been reported on low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma. This disease is commonly diagnosed in premenopausal patients during the early stage. There is no consensus on preserving the ovaries, particularly in young patients, due to the tumour's hormonal characteristics and the risk of late recurrences.What do the results of this study add? Ovarian preservation had no effect on the recurrence of stage I low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma. Lymphadenectomy and adjuvant hormonal treatment had no effect on DFS, and adjuvant radiotherapy decreased DFS in the current study.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Ovarian preservation should be considered, to prevent the negative effects of surgical menopause, particularly in young patients.

A case of eribulin-induced regression of liposarcoma of the left funiculus in a heavily pretreated patient

We report the case of a heavily pretreated male subject affected by left funiculus liposarcoma and successfully treated with eribulin mesylate. After three surgical interventions, radiotherapy on the lesion of the penile bulb for satellite nodules and an epirubicin + ifosfamide chemotherapy treatment for six cycles, eribulin was administered at the dose of 1.1 mg/m² on days 1 and 8, every 3 weeks for a total of nine cycles. A significant reduction of the lesions was achieved after four cycles of therapy, with a good profile of tolerability.

Tumor-associated mortality and prognostic factors in myxofibrosarcoma - A retrospective review of 109 patients

BACKGROUND

Myxofibrosarcoma (MFS) is one of the most common sarcoma subtype in elderly patients. They are reported to recur locally independently of the tumour grade in 30-40% of cases and metastases are reported to develop in high-grade tumours in 20-35% cases. As MFS is a rare diagnosis, data investigating specific survival and independent risk factors are lacking and have mostly been limited to single orthopaedic oncology centre studies so far. Thus we set up a pathology-based retrospective study and analyzed all MFS diagnosed in our institution with the following aims: (1) analysis of independent risk factors for overall survival, disease specific survival, local recurrence-free survival and distant metastasis free survival following resection of MFS; (2) analysis of resection margin status.

HYPOTHESIS

High-grade MFS have a low survival distant metastasis free survival and local recurrence free survival is dependent on surgical margin status.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We retrospectively analysed 109 patients (median 66 years [range, 21-96]) diagnosed with MFS and a median follow-up of 42 months at one centre between 1990 and 2014. Tumor-associated survival, including competing risk analysis, and prognostic factors for local recurrence, metastatic disease and death from disease were investigated and included in a multivariate analysis.

RESULTS

Overall survival was 79% [95%CI: 71.9-87.5] at 3 years and 76% [95%CI: 67.4-84.6] at 5 years. Disease specific survival was 85% [95%CI: 78.4-92.2] at 3 years and 80% [95%CI: 72.2-88.2] at 5 years. There were local recurrences in 11/109 patients (10%). Local recurrence free survival (LRFS) was 95% [95%CI: 92.0-99.8] at 3 and 88% [95%CI: 84.3-96.4] at 5 years. Metastatic disease (n=25; 23%) occurred after a median follow-up of 10 months. Distant metastasis free survival was 78% [95%CI: 69.9-85.9] at 3 and 77% [95%CI: 68.4-84.8] at 5 years. R1 status at primary resection was an independent risk factor for decreased Local Recurrence-free survival (OR: 8.5, 95%CI: 1.59-49.79 [p=0.01]). Grading was an independent risk factor for decreased Disease specific survival (OR 13.4, 95%CI: 1.65-1734.84 [p=0.01]) and Distant metastasis free survival (OR 16.2, 95%CI: 2.0-2110.5 [p=0.004]). Primary resection achieved R0 margins in 63 (58%) of 109 patients. Margins were adequate significantly more often (p<0.001) in patients treated primarily at a sarcoma centre (R0=58/68, 85%) than in those treated primarily at non-sarcoma centres (R0= 5/41, 12%), whereby the latter significantly more often treated superficial tumours (p=0.001) with a size of less than 5cm (p<0.001).

DISCUSSION

Patients with high-grade MFS had a poorer prognosis with respect to Disease specific survival/Distant metastasis free survival than low-grade MFS. Local recurrence did not significantly affect disease specific survival.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

IV.

3D Culture Modelling: An Emerging Approach for Translational Cancer Research in Sarcomas

Sarcomas are tumours of mesenchymal origin, which can arise in bone or soft tissues. They are rare but frequently quite aggressive and with a poor outcome. New approaches are needed to characterise these tumours and their resistance mechanisms to current therapies, responsible for tumour recurrence and treatment failure. This review is focused on the potential of three-dimensional (3D) in vitro models, including multicellular tumour spheroids (MCTS) and organoids, and the latest data about their utility for the study on important properties for tumour development. The use of spheroids as a particularly valuable alternative for compound high throughput screening (HTS) in different areas of cancer biology is also discussed, which enables the identification of new therapeutic opportunities in commonly resistant tumours.

High-Grade Malignant Spindle Cell Sarcoma of the Pelvis Presenting With Bloody Diarrhea and Urinary Retention: A Rare Case With a Rare Presentation

Soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) are rare malignant tumors originating from mesenchymal cells. Extremities are the most commonly affected anatomical sites, and majority of them present as a painless mass. We present a very interesting case of high-grade spindle cell sarcoma of the pelvis manifested as urinary retention and bloody diarrhea. A 68-year-old male presented to the emergency department with abdominal pain, inability to void urine, and bloody diarrhea. Straight urinary catheterization retrieved 900 mL of urine, and a Foley catheter was placed. All laboratory workup including complete blood count, complete metabolic panel, and urinalysis were within normal limits, but computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen and pelvis with contrast was remarkable for bilateral moderate hydronephrosis and a large 14 x 9.1 cm pelvic mass fistulizing into the rectum. To better identify the extent of disease, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with contrast was performed, which also revealed a similar large pelvic mass fistulizing into the rectum. Core needle biopsy of the mass was performed, which showed malignant spindle and epithelioid neoplasm with necrosis consistent with high-grade sarcoma. This is a very rare presentation of STS, and, to the best of our knowledge, only few similar cases have been reported thus far.

Metastases of soft tissue sarcoma to the liver: A Historical Cohort Study from a Hospital-based Cancer Registry

BACKGROUND

Hepatic metastasis of soft tissue sarcoma is rare compared to lung metastasis, and the literature is scarce. We examined the risk of hepatic metastasis according to the site of occurrence and histological type.

METHODS

From a Hospital-based Cancer Registry, 658 patients registered between 2007 and 2017 with soft tissue sarcomas were evaluated. The exclusion criteria were gastrointestinal stromal tumors, tumors of unknown origin, and follow-up periods of less than 1 month. SPSS 25 was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

The risk of hepatic metastasis was significantly higher in the retroperitoneum (HR, 5.981; 95% CI, 2.793-12.808) and leiomyosarcoma (HR, 4.303; 95% CI, 1.782-10.390). Multivariate analysis showed that the risk of hepatic metastasis as first distant metastasis was high in leiomyosarcoma (HR, 4.546; 95% CI, 2.275-9.086) and retroperitoneal onset (HR, 4.588; 95% CI, 2.280-9.231). The 2-year survival rate after hepatic metastasis was 21.7%.

CONCLUSIONS

The onset of hepatic metastasis indicates a poor prognosis. However, hepatic metastasis from retroperitoneal sarcoma and leiomyosarcoma may be the first distant metastasis in some cases. For retroperitoneal sarcoma and leiomyosarcoma, additional screening for hepatic metastasis such as contrast CT should be considered during staging and follow-up after treatment.

Long lasting response with trabectedin monotherapy in relapsed metastatic mesenchymal chondrosarcoma

Background

Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma is an exceedingly rare malignancy, accounting for around 5% of all patients with chondrosarcoma. It is a translocation-related sarcoma that tends to have both local and distant recurrences. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment in localised cases however treatment of advanced cases remains a challenge. The rarity of the disease precludes dedicated clinical trials and hence guidelines for its management are not well defined. The dearth in literature makes it pertinent that the cases treated with newer therapies must be reported to contribute to existing knowledge.

Case presentation

We hereby report a case of a 39-year old male without any comorbidity presenting with pelvic pain and was diagnosed as mesenchymal chondrosarcoma of the pelvis. He underwent an initial curative resection followed by a disease-free interval of 7 months. Subsequently, he was treated with pulmonary metastatectomy and local debulking surgery at time of initial relapse. He was then exposed to multiple lines of palliative chemotherapy, which limited our treatment options upon subsequent disease progression. Based on recent data, the patient was given trabectedin monotherapy as fourth line chemotherapy. He tolerated the therapy well and attained a progression-free survival of 12 months, which is an impactful figure in relapsed setting in this patient population.

Conclusion

This report aims to present a comprehensive review into available and newer treatment choices for mesenchymal chondrosarcoma, and to highlight trabectedin monotherapy as a possible therapeutic option for mesenchymal chondrosarcoma in the relapsed setting.

Recurrent massive myxoid liposarcoma in retroperitoneum 10 years post initial operation

Introduction

Myxoid liposarcoma tends to be a relatively good prognosis. Follow-up is recommended once a year from the 5th year after surgery.

Case presentation

A 48-year-old man had a massive retroperitoneal tumor, measuring approximately 20 cm. Resection of a huge myxoid liposarcoma had been performed on his back 10 years ago and the weight of the mass was 14 kg. The tumor was resected from the right kidney and its weight was 3.6 kg. Pathological examination showed myxoid liposarcoma and therefore, the tumor was diagnosed as recurrent. But after the resection, no recurrence or metastasis was observed.

Conclusion

To our knowledge, the case presents the first report where both initial and recurrent tumors were massive and the time for recurrence was 10 years. Therefore, a follow-up of myxoid liposarcoma might have to be done cautiously throughout the patient's life.

Value of peri-operative chemotherapy in patients with CINSARC high-risk localized grade 1 or 2 soft tissue sarcoma: study protocol of the target selection phase III CHIC-STS trial

BACKGROUND

The value of chemotherapy in soft tissue sarcoma (STS) remains controversial. Several expert teams consider that chemotherapy provides a survival advantage and should be proposed in high-risk (HR) patients. However, the lack of accuracy in identifying HR patients with conventional risk factors (large, deep, FNCLCC grade 3, extremity STS) is an issue that cannot be neglected. For example, while the FNCLCC grading system is a powerful tool, it has several limitations. CINSARC, a 67-gene signature, has proved to be an additional independent factor for predicting metastatic spread and outperforms histological grade. Regardless of FNCLCC grade, CINSARC stratifies patients into two separate prognostic groups: one with an excellent prognosis (low-risk (LR) CINSARC) and the other with a worse outcome (HR-CINSARC) in terms of metastatic relapse. Here we evaluate the role of chemotherapy in grade 1-2 STS patients with HR-CINSARC and assess the prognostic value of CINSARC in patients treated with standard of care.

METHODS

CHIC is a parallel, randomized, open-label, multicenter study evaluating the effect on metastasis-free survival of adding perioperative chemotherapy to standard of care in patients with grade ½ STS sarcoma defined as HR by CINSARC. In this target selection design, 600 patients will be screened with CINSARC to randomize 250 HR-CINSARC patients between standard of care and standard of care plus chemotherapy (4 cycles of 3 weeks of intravenous chemotherapy with doxorubicin in combination with dacarbazine or ifosfamide according to histologic subtype). LR-CINSARC patients will be treated by standard of care according to the investigator. The primary endpoint is metastasis-free survival. Secondary endpoints include overall survival, disease-free survival and safety. Furthermore, the prognostic value of CINSARC will be evaluated by comparing LR-CINSARC patients to HR-CINSARC patients randomized in standard of care.

DISCUSSION

CHIC is a prospective randomized phase III trial designed to comprehensively evaluate the benefit of chemotherapy in HR-CINSARC patients and to prospectively validate the prognostic value of CINSARC in grade ½ STS sarcoma patients.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04307277 Date of registration: 13 March 2020.

Soft Tissue Sarcoma: Preoperative MRI-Based Radiomics and Machine Learning May Be Accurate Predictors of Histopathologic Grade

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to assess the value of radiomics features for differentiating soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) of different histopathologic grades. MATERIALS AND METHODS. The T1-weighted and fat-suppressed T2-weighted MR images of 70 STSs of varying grades (35 low-grade [grades 1 and 2], 35 high-grade [grade 3]) formed the primary dataset used to train multiple machine learning algorithms for the construction of models for assigning STS grade. The models were tested with a separate validation dataset. RESULTS. Different machine learning algorithms had different strengths and weaknesses. The best classification algorithm for the prediction of STS grade had a combination of the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator feature selection method and the random forest classification algorithm (AUC, 0.9216; 95% CI, 0.8437-0.9995) in the validation set. The accuracy of the combined methods applied to the validation set was 91.43%; sensitivity, 88.24%; and specificity, 94.44%. CONCLUSION. Because of tumor heterogeneity, initial biopsy grade may be an underestimate of the final grade identified in extensive histopathologic analysis of surgical specimens. This creates an urgent need to construct an accurate preoperative approach to grading STS. This radiomics study revealed the optimal machine learning approaches for differentiating STS grades. This capability can enhance the precision of preoperative diagnosis.

Immunotherapy with nivolumab for the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma with pulmonary metastasis: A case report

Sarcomas are an unusual group of tumors, accounting for ~1% of cancer in adults. Immunotherapy has been shown to be a potential therapeutic option for the management of patients with cancer. However, there is still insufficient information on the action of immunotherapy on sarcomas. A 16-year-old male patient, diagnosed in December 2013 with grade III soft-tissue sarcoma in the right arm, was admitted to a private oncology service after relapse following surgical treatment. The patient underwent chemotherapy with ifosfamide plus adriamycin for 4 cycles, associated with adjuvant radiotherapy, followed by a new resection to remove the residual lesion. A year later, imaging tests identified pulmonary micronodules, and a new resection was performed. After immunohistochemical evaluation of biopsy, a large presence of programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) marker was identified in tumor tissue and immunotherapy with nivolumab was performed. At present, the patient is in immunotherapeutic treatment (42 cycles), presenting an excellent general condition and without any symptoms, and a decrease in neoplastic lung masses. The literature recommends three cycles of anthracycline plus ifosfamide as adjuvant therapy to surgical treatment. Combined surgery plus adjuvant therapy has shown benefits in malignant tumors. Immunotherapy is an important therapeutic option for soft-tissue sarcomas with high programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/PD-L1 expression. Treatment for high grade soft tissue sarcoma (STS) is still limited, due to tumor heterogeneity, and further studies are needed to consolidate the possibility of using immunotherapy to treat these neoplasms. When significant levels of specific biomarkers are present in tumor tissue, immunotherapy may be beneficial as shown by the present case report.

Pathological response in children and adults with large unresected intermediate-grade or high-grade soft tissue sarcoma receiving preoperative chemoradiotherapy with or without pazopanib (ARST1321): a multicentre, randomised, open-label, phase 2 trial

BACKGROUND

Outcomes for children and adults with advanced soft tissue sarcoma are poor with traditional therapy. We investigated whether the addition of pazopanib to preoperative chemoradiotherapy would improve pathological near complete response rate compared with chemoradiotherapy alone.

METHODS

In this joint Children's Oncology Group and NRG Oncology multicentre, randomised, open-label, phase 2 trial, we enrolled eligible adults (aged ≥18 years) and children (aged between 2 and <18 years) from 57 hospitals in the USA and Canada with unresected, newly diagnosed trunk or extremity chemotherapy-sensitive soft tissue sarcoma, which were larger than 5 cm in diameter and of intermediate or high grade. Eligible patients had Lansky (if aged ≤16 years) or Karnofsky (if aged >16 years) performance status score of at least 70. Patients received ifosfamide (2·5 g/m² per dose intravenously on days 1-3 with mesna) and doxorubicin (37·5 mg/m² per dose intravenously on days 1-2) with 45 Gy preoperative radiotherapy, followed by surgical resection at week 13. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) using a web-based system, in an unmasked manner, to receive oral pazopanib (if patients <18 years 350 mg/m² once daily; if patients ≥18 years 600 mg once daily) or not (control group), with pazopanib not given immediately before or after surgery at week 13. The study projected 100 randomly assigned patients were needed to show an improvement in the number of participants with a 90% or higher pathological response at week 13 from 40% to 60%. Analysis was done per protocol. This study has completed accrual and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02180867.

FINDINGS

Between July 7, 2014, and Oct 1, 2018, 81 eligible patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to the pazopanib group (n=42) or the control group (n=39). At the planned second interim analysis with 42 evaluable patients and a median follow-up of 0·8 years (IQR 0·3-1·6) in the pazopanib group and 1 year (0·3-1·6) in the control group, the number of patients with a 90% pathological response or higher was 14 (58%) of 24 patients in the pazopanib group and four (22%) of 18 patients in the control group, with a between-group difference in the number of 90% or higher pathological response of 36·1% (83·8% CI 16·5-55·8). On the basis of an interim analysis significance level of 0·081 (overall one-sided significance level of 0·20, power of 0·80, and O'Brien-Fleming-type cumulative error spending function), the 83·8% CI for response difference was between 16·5% and 55·8% and thus excluded 0. The improvement in pathological response rate with the addition of pazopanib crossed the predetermined boundary and enrolment was stopped. The most common grade 3-4 adverse events were leukopenia (16 [43%] of 37 patients), neutropenia (15 [41%]), and febrile neutropenia (15 [41%]) in the pazopanib group, and neutropenia (three [9%] of 35 patients) and febrile neutropenia (three [9%]) in the control group. 22 (59%) of 37 patients in the pazopanib group had a pazopanib-related serious adverse event. Paediatric and adult patients had a similar number of grade 3 and 4 toxicity. There were seven deaths (three in the pazopanib group and four in the control group), none of which were treatment related.

INTERPRETATION

In this presumed first prospective trial of soft tissue sarcoma spanning nearly the entire age spectrum, adding pazopanib to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy improved the rate of pathological near complete response, suggesting that this is a highly active and feasible combination in children and adults with advanced soft tissue sarcoma. The comparison of survival outcomes requires longer follow-up.

FUNDING

National Institutes of Health, St Baldrick's Foundation, Seattle Children's Foundation.

Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) for soft tissue sarcoma - ESTRO IORT Task Force/ACROP recommendations

PURPOSE

To describe guidelines for the use of intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) in the treatment of soft-tissue sarcomas (STS).

METHODS

A panel of experts in the field performed a systematic literature review, supplemented their clinical experience and developed recommendations for the use of IORT in the treatment of STS.

RESULTS

Based on the evidence from the systematic literature review and the clinical experience of the panel members, recommendations regarding patient selection, incorporation into multimodal treatment concepts and the IORT procedure itself are made. The rationale for IORT in extremity and retroperitoneal STS is summarized and results of the major series in terms of patient and treatment characteristics, oncological outcome and toxicity are presented. We define surgical factors, volumes for irradiation, technical requirements, dose prescription, recording and reporting, treatment delivery and care during the course of IORT covering the main IORT techniques used for the treatment of STS. In extremity STS, evidence originates from a few small prospective and mainly from retrospective single centre studies. Based on those reports, IORT containing-approaches result in very high local control rates with low rates of acute and late toxicity. In retroperitoneal sarcomas, evidence is derived from one prospective randomized trial, a few prospective and a large number of retrospective studies. The randomized trial compared IORT combined with moderate doses of postoperative external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT) to high-dose postoperative EBRT alone after gross total resection, clearly favouring the IORT-containing approach. These results have been confirmed by the prospective and retrospective studies, which similarly showed high local control rates with acceptable toxicity, mainly favouring combinations of preoperative EBRT and IORT.

CONCLUSIONS

IORT-containing approaches result in high rates of local control with low to acceptable toxicity rates. Based on the available evidence, we made recommendations for the use of IORT in STS. Clinicians and researchers are encouraged to use these guidelines in clinical routine as well as in the design of future trials.

Intimal angiosarcoma masquerading as retroperitoneal fibrosis

We present a rare case of intimal angiosarcoma arising from the iliac artery with unusual symptoms and signs mimicking retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF). This 84-year-old male presented with constitutional symptoms, abdominal pain, increased acute-phase reactant levels, impaired renal function and a CT-documented left-sided parailiac soft-tissue mass with unilateral extrinsic ureteric obstruction. Whole-body ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography scan showed highly increased FDG-uptake in a horseshoe-like pattern surrounding the left common iliac artery, but no pathologic activity elsewhere. Further diagnostic workup revealed no signs of malignancy. Because of its location, CT-guided biopsy of the mass was precluded. A tentative diagnosis of RPF was made and treatment with Tamoxifen 20 b.i.d. was started. However, his condition gradually deteriorated, eventually succumbing to severe pneumosepsis. Autopsy revealed extensive iliac intimal angiosarcoma with infiltrative expansion to the left ureter and tumor emboli in both lungs. The present case suggests that intimal angiosarcoma should be included in the differential diagnosis of suspected RPF.

Oncologic outcomes of pre- versus post-operative radiation in Resectable soft tissue sarcoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Postoperative radiation therapy for soft tissue sarcomas demonstrated good local recurrence-free survival rates and survival outcomes. However, the results remained controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the role of preoperative and postoperative radiation therapy for the treatment of resectable soft tissue sarcomas.

Methods

The electronic database PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE were performed from inception till 30 November, 2019. The effect of preoperative versus postoperative radiation therapy on resectable soft tissue sarcomas was compared and then assessed.

Results

A total of 15 studies with 12,813 patients were included, and most of these had acceptable quality scores. Of these, 10 studies reported data on local recurrence. The pooled results indicated no significant differences between preoperative radiotherapy and postoperative radiotherapy groups for local recurrence, with a risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.84 (95%CI = 0.58–1.21). No difference was observed in the overall survival and distant metastasis between the two groups. According to the pooled results, preoperative radiotherapy group showed a significant risk for complications (RR = 2.11, 95%CI = 1.36–3.27).

Conclusions

The postoperative radiation therapy does not increase the local recurrence, overall survival, and distant metastasis, but might result in lowering complications.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for radiation-induced tissue injury following sarcoma treatment: A retrospective analysis of a Dutch cohort

Background and objectives

Sarcomas are commonly managed by surgical resection combined with radiotherapy. Sarcoma treatment is frequently complicated by chronic wounds and late radiation tissue injury (LRTI). This study aims to gain insight in the use and results of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for radiation-induced complications following sarcoma treatment.

Methods

All sarcoma patients treated between 2006 and 2017 in one of the five centers of the Institute for Hyperbaric Oxygen in the Netherlands were included for retrospective analysis.

Results

Thirty patients were included, 18 (60.0%) patients were treated for chronic wounds and 12 (40.0%) for LRTI. Two patients with chronic wounds were excluded from analysis as HBOT was discontinued within five sessions. In 11 of 16 (68.8%) patients treated for chronic wounds, improved wound healing was seen. Nine of 12 (75.0%) patients treated for LRTI reported a decline in pain. Reduction of fibrosis was seen in five of eight patients (62.5%) treated for LRTI.

Conclusions

HBOT is safe and beneficial for treating chronic wounds and LRTI in the sarcoma population. Awaiting further prospective results, we recommend referring to HBOT centers more actively in patients experiencing impaired wound healing or symptoms of delayed radiation-induced tissue injury following multimodality sarcoma treatment.

Identification of Genetic Alterations by Circulating Tumor DNA in Leiomyosarcoma: A Molecular Analysis of 73 Patients

Background

Leiomyosarcoma is a malignant mesenchymal tumor of cells of smooth muscle lineage arising commonly in retroperitoneum, uterus, large veins, and the limbs. The genetics of leiomyosarcomas are complex and there is very limited understanding of common driver mutations. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) offers a rapid and noninvasive method of next-generation sequencing (NGS) that could be used for diagnosis, therapy, and detection of recurrence.

Methods

ctDNA testing was performed using Guardant360, which detects single nucleotide variants, amplifications, fusions, and specific insertion/deletion mutations in 73 genes using NGS.

Results

Of 73 patients, 59 were found to have one or more cancer-associated genomic alteration. Forty-five (76%) were female with a median age of 63 (range, 38-87) years. All samples were designated metastatic. The most common alterations were detected in Tp53 (65%), BRAF (13%), CCNE (13%), EGFR (12%), PIK3CA (12%), FGFR1 (10%), RB1(10%), KIT (8%), and PDGFRA (8%). Some of the other alterations included RAF1, ERBB2, MET, PTEN TERT, APC, and NOTCH1. Potentially targetable mutations, by Food and Drug Administration-approved or clinical trials, were found in 24 (40%) of the 73 patients. Four patients (5%) were found to have incidental germline TP53 mutations.

Conclusion

NGS of ctDNA allows identification of genomic alterations in plasma from patients with leiomyosarcoma. Unfortunately, there is limited activity of current targeted agents in leiomyosarcomas. These results suggest opportunities to develop therapy against TP53, cell cycle, and kinase signaling pathways. Further validation and prospective evaluation is warranted to investigate the clinical utility of ctDNA for patients with leiomyosarcoma.

Diagnostic utility of perilesional muscle edema in myositis ossificans

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the value of extensive perilesional muscle edema for the differentiation between myositis ossificans (MO) and malignant intramuscular soft tissue tumors on MRI.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two blinded readers analyzed MR examinations of 90 consecutive patients with intramuscular soft tissue masses (group 1: MO, n = 20; group 2: malignant tumors, n = 70). Extent of edema around lesions was graded (0, none; 1, minimal edema; 2, moderate edema; 3, extensive edema). Edema-lesion ratio (ELR = ratio of the maximal diameter of the edema and the maximal diameter of the central lesion) was calculated. ROC analysis, Mann-Whitney U test, and Kappa test were used.

RESULTS

A total of 70% and 60% of patients with MO had edema grade 3 (reader 1/reader 2), 30%/40% edema grade 2. For the patients with malignant tumors, it was 2.9%/1.4% (edema grade 3) and 16%/23% (edema grade 2). Interrater reliability was substantial (kappa = 0.66). Extent of edema was significantly higher for patients of group 1 (p < 0.0001, both readers). Mean ELR was 3.60 (group 1) and 1.35 (group 2), with statistically significant differences (p < 0.0001). Grade 3 edema showed a sensitivity/specificity of 70%/97.1% (reader 1) and 60%/99% (reader 2) for diagnosing MO. For ELR > 2.0, sensitivity was 90% and specificity 91% for diagnosing MO.

CONCLUSIONS

Extensive perilesional muscle edema on MRI of more than double the size of the central lesion is highly specific, but not pathognomonic for myositis ossificans in the early/intermediate stage in the differentiation to malignant intramuscular soft tissue lesions.

The efficacy of eribulin mesylate for patients with cutaneous angiosarcoma previously treated with taxane: a multicentre prospective observational study

BACKGROUND

Taxanes are the current first-line treatment for advanced cutaneous angiosarcoma (CAS) for patients who are considered difficult to treat with doxorubicin owing to advanced age or comorbidity. However, no effective second-line therapy for such patients has been established.

METHODS

We designed a single-arm prospective observational study of eribulin mesylate (ERB) administered at a dose of 1·4 mg m^-2 on days 1 and 8 in a 21-day cycle. Patients with advanced CAS who were previously treated with a taxane and were scheduled to begin ERB treatment were enrolled. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS) and the secondary endpoints were response rate (RR), progression-free survival (PFS) and toxicity assessment.

RESULTS

We enrolled a total of 25 patients. The median OS and PFS were 8·6 months and 3·0 months, respectively. The best overall RR was 20% (five of 25). In total, 16 grade 3/4 severe adverse events (SAEs) occurred; however, all patients recovered. Patients who achieved partial response or stable disease as best response had longer OS than those with progressive disease (median OS not reached and 3·3 months, respectively; P < 0·001). Patients who did not experience SAEs showed longer OS than those who did (median OS 18·8 months and 7·5 months, respectively; P < 0·05). Patients with distant metastasis had shorter median OS than those with locoregional disease, but without statistically significant difference.

CONCLUSIONS

ERB showed a promising RR and is a potential candidate for second-line treatment for patients with CAS, after treatment with taxanes. However, owing to the occurrence of SAEs in over half of the participants, caution should be exercised regarding ERB use in elderly patients. What is already known about this topic? Taxanes are the current first-line treatment for patients with advanced cutaneous angiosarcoma (CAS) who are considered difficult to treat with doxorubicin owing to advanced age or comorbidity. No effective therapy for taxane-resistant CAS has been established thus far. Eribulin suppresses microtubule polymerization and elicits an antitumour effect similar to that of taxanes. What does this study add? In our single-arm prospective observational study to evaluate the efficacy of eribulin for treating patients with advanced CAS who previously received taxanes, the median overall survival and progression-free survival were 8·6 and 3·0 months, respectively. Response rates at weeks 7, 13 and 25 were 20%, 17% and 14%, respectively. Although 16 grade 3/4 severe adverse events occurred, all patients recovered. Eribulin showed a promising response rate and is a potential candidate for second-line treatment in CAS after taxane treatment. Linked Comment: Smrke and Benson. Br J Dermatol 2020; 183:797-798.

Characterization of small, deeply located soft-tissue tumors: Conventional magnetic resonance imaging features and apparent diffusion coefficient for differentiation between non-malignancy and malignancy

OBJECTIVES

To compare magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters of small, deeply located non-malignant and malignant soft-tissue tumors (STTs).

METHODS

Between May 2011 and December 2017, 95 MRIs in 95 patients with pathologically proven STTs of small size (<5 cm) and deep location (66 non-malignant and 29 malignant) were identified. For qualitative parameters, consensus reading was performed by three radiologists for presence of necrosis, infiltration, lobulation, and the tail sign. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was analyzed by two other radiologists independently. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to determine the diagnostic performances of MRI parameters in differentiating non-malignancy and malignancy, and for non-myxoid, non-hemosiderin STTs and myxoid STTs as subgroups. Interobserver agreement for ADC measurement was calculated with the intraclass correlation coefficient.

RESULTS

Interobserver agreement on ADC measurement was almost perfect. On univariable analysis, the malignant group showed a significantly larger size, lower ADC, and higher incidence of all qualitative MRI parameters for all STTs. Size (p = 0.012, odds ratio [OR] 2.57), ADC (p = 0.041, OR 3.85), and the tail sign (p = 0.009, OR 6.47) were independently significant on multivariable analysis. For non-myxoid, non-hemosiderin STTs, age, size, ADC, frequency of infiltration, lobulation, and the tail sign showed significant differences between non-malignancy and malignancy on univariable analysis. Only ADC (p = 0.032, OR 142.86) retained its independence on multivariable analysis. For myxoid STTs, only size and tail sign were significant on univariable analysis without independent significance.

CONCLUSIONS

Size, ADC, and incidence of qualitative MRI parameters were significantly different between small, deeply located non-malignant and malignant STTs. Only ADC was independently significant for both overall analysis and the non-myxoid, non-hemosiderin subgroup.

Radiomics approach to distinguish between well differentiated liposarcomas and lipomas on MRI

Background

Well differentiated liposarcoma (WDLPS) can be difficult to distinguish from lipoma. Currently, this distinction is made by testing for MDM2 amplification, which requires a biopsy. The aim of this study was to develop a noninvasive method to predict MDM2 amplification status using radiomics features derived from MRI.

Methods

Patients with an MDM2‐negative lipoma or MDM2‐positive WDLPS and a pretreatment T1‐weighted MRI scan who were referred to Erasmus MC between 2009 and 2018 were included. When available, other MRI sequences were included in the radiomics analysis. Features describing intensity, shape and texture were extracted from the tumour region. Classification was performed using various machine learning approaches. Evaluation was performed through a 100 times random‐split cross‐validation. The performance of the models was compared with the performance of three expert radiologists.

Results

The data set included 116 tumours (58 patients with lipoma, 58 with WDLPS) and originated from 41 different MRI scanners, resulting in wide heterogeneity in imaging hardware and acquisition protocols. The radiomics model based on T1 imaging features alone resulted in a mean area under the curve (AUC) of 0·83, sensitivity of 0·68 and specificity of 0·84. Adding the T2‐weighted imaging features in an explorative analysis improved the model to a mean AUC of 0·89, sensitivity of 0·74 and specificity of 0·88. The three radiologists scored an AUC of 0·74 and 0·72 and 0·61 respectively; a sensitivity of 0·74, 0·91 and 0·64; and a specificity of 0·55, 0·36 and 0·59.

Conclusion

Radiomics is a promising, non‐invasive method for differentiating between WDLPS and lipoma, outperforming the scores of the radiologists. Further optimization and validation is needed before introduction into clinical practice.

Incidental leiomyosarcoma within an ischaemic gut: a review of the management of visceral sarcoma

Leiomyosarcomas are rare, primary malignancies that can be found in the small bowel in a minority of cases. The management of these visceral sarcomas remains controversial, with surgical resection forming the mainstay, being optimally achieved in a unit familiar with the management of sarcomas. These tumours are difficult to diagnose based on history and are challenging to localize on conventional imaging modalities. We report a case of a 61-year-old female who proceeded to emergent laparotomy with imaging suggestive of small bowel ischaemia secondary to portal venous thrombosis. Incidental leiomyosarcoma was noted on histology and was discussed at local multidisciplinary meeting regarding further management.

An adaptive population enrichment phase III trial of TRC105 and pazopanib versus pazopanib alone in patients with advanced angiosarcoma (TAPPAS trial)

Background

Major challenges in clinical trials of ultra-orphan oncology diseases include limited patient availability and paucity of reliable prior data for estimating the treatment effect and, therefore, determining optimal sample size. Angiosarcoma (AS), a particularly aggressive form of soft tissue sarcoma with an incidence of about 2000 cases per year in the United States and Europe is poorly addressed by current systemic therapies. Pazopanib, an inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) is approved for the treatment of AS, with modest benefit. TRC105 (carotuximab) is a monoclonal antibody to endoglin, an essential angiogenic target highly expressed on proliferating endothelium and both tumor vessels and tumor cells in AS, that has the potential to complement VEGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors. In a phase I/II study of soft tissue sarcoma, TRC105 combined safely with pazopanib and the combination demonstrated durable complete responses and encouraging progression-free survival (PFS). In addition, there was a suggestion of superior benefit in patients with cutaneous lesions versus those with the non-cutaneous lesions.

Patients and methods

This article describes the design of a recently initiated phase III trial of TRC105 And Pazopanib versus Pazopanib alone in patients with advanced AngioSarcoma (TAPPAS trial). Given the ultra-orphan status of the disease and the paucity of reliable prior data on PFS or overall survival (end points required for regulatory approval as a pivotal trial), an adaptive design incorporating population enrichment and sample size re-estimation was implemented. The design incorporated regulatory input from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency and proceeded following special protocol assessment designation by the FDA.

Conclusions

It is shown that the benefit of the adaptive design as compared with a conventional single-look design arises from the learning and subsequent improvements in power that occur after an unblinded analysis of interim data.

Registered on Clinicaltrials.gov

NCT02979899.

Risk score based on expression of five novel genes predicts survival in soft tissue sarcoma

In this study, The Cancer Genome Atlas and Genotype-Tissue Expression databases were used to identify potential biomarkers of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) and construct a prognostic model. The model was used to calculate risk scores based on the expression of five key genes, among which MYBL2 and FBN2 were upregulated and TSPAN7, GCSH, and DDX39B were downregulated in STS patients. We also examined gene signatures associated with the key genes and evaluated the model’s clinical utility. The key genes were found to be involved in the cell cycle, DNA replication, and various cancer pathways, and gene alterations were associated with a poor prognosis. According to the prognostic model, risk scores negatively correlated with infiltration of six types of immune cells. Furthermore, age, margin status, presence of metastasis, and risk score were independent prognostic factors for STS patients. A nomogram that incorporated the risk score and other independent prognostic factors accurately predicted survival in STS patients. These findings may help to improve prognostic prediction and aid in the identification of effective treatments for STS patients.

Sarcoma Surveillance: A Review of Current Evidence and Guidelines

After initial treatment of sarcoma, disease progression may occur in the form of local recurrence, pulmonary metastases, or extrapulmonary metastases. As such, surveillance is an important aspect of management, but no universally accepted practice standards are found. In the absence of strong evidence, and to allow for individualized care, existing guidelines contain flexibility in terms of both the frequency and modality of surveillance. In general, they agree that follow-up should be more intense in the early years after treatment, especially for high-grade sarcomas, and continue for at least 10 years. For local recurrence, data suggest that physical examination is usually sufficient for monitoring; in addition, some guidelines endorse imaging routinely, whereas others only as clinically indicated. For pulmonary metastasis, either radiograph or CT is recommended, with the latter having theoretical advantages but no proven survival benefit to date. Extrapulmonary metastases are rare in most sarcoma types, so the literature only supports extrapulmonary surveillance for certain diagnoses. This topic is complicated by the diversity of sarcomas, the limited evidence, and the indefinite, often conflicting recommendations; therefore, it is critical for providers to understand the existing research and guidelines to determine optimal surveillance strategies for their patients.

Low Recurrence Rate and Risk of Distant Metastases following Marginal Surgery of Intramuscular Lipoma and Atypical Lipomatous Tumors of the Extremities and Trunk Wall

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of the present study was to determine the local recurrence rate, risk of dedifferentiation, and distant metastasis after surgical excision of intramuscular lipomas (IML) and atypical lipomatous tumors (ALT).

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

We retrospectively assessed all IML and ALT surgically removed from the extremities or trunk wall in our clinic between 1997 and 2006. Data from 141 patients with IML and 35 patients with ALT were extracted from the National Pathology Registry and patient files.

RESULTS

IML and ALT recurred in 10 and 6 tumors, respectively. No metastases were observed in either group. The 5- and 10-year local recurrence-free survival rates were 97.1% (94.3-99.9) and 94.8% (CI: 91.1-98.6) for IML and 84.6% (CI: 72.1-97.1) and 81.1% (CI: 67.6-94.8) for ALT, respectively. ALT were found to dedifferentiate in 2/35 cases.

CONCLUSION

Both IML and ALT showed a low recurrence rate when removed surgically from the extremities or trunk wall with intended marginal resection. No distant metastases were observed in any of the groups. It, therefore, seems safe to treat these tumors with marginal resection.

Optimization of the Therapeutic Approach to Patients with Sarcoma: Delphi Consensus

Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) constitute a heterogeneous group of rare solid tumors associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The evaluation and treatment of STS require a multidisciplinary team with extensive experience in the management of these types of tumors. National and international clinical practice guidelines for STS do not always provide answers to a great many situations that specialists have to contend with in their everyday practice. This consensus provides a series of specific recommendations based on available scientific evidence and the experience of a group of experts to assist in decision-making by all the specialists involved in the management of STS.

Efficacy and Safety of Nanosomal Docetaxel Lipid Suspension-Based Chemotherapy in Sarcoma: A Multicenter, Retrospective Study

Objective

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of nanosomal docetaxel lipid suspension (NDLS, DoceAqualip) based chemotherapy in patients with sarcoma.

Methods

In this retrospective, multicenter (6 centers), observational study, we analyzed the medical charts of adult patients of either sex, who were treated with NDLS (75 mg/m² in 3-weekly cycles) based chemotherapy for the treatment of sarcoma. The efficacy outcomes were overall response rate (ORR: complete response (CR) + partial response (PR)) and disease control rate (DCR: CR + PR + stable disease (SD)) in patients who received NDLS-based chemotherapy in neoadjuvant and metastatic settings. Overall survival (OS) and safety were evaluated for all settings.

Results

Of 11 patients (neoadjuvant: 1, adjuvant: 3, and metastatic: 7) in this study, majority had leiomyosarcoma (63.6%, 7/11) followed by extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma (EMC), high grade pleomorphic sarcoma of mandible, malignant fibrous histiocytoma of right thigh, and osteosarcoma of femur (9.1% each, 1/11 each). NDLS plus gemcitabine combination was used in 10 patients (90.9%), and NDLS plus cyclophosphamide was used in one patient with EMC (9.1%). Efficacy evaluation was performed for 7 patients (neoadjuvant: 1/1; metastatic: 6/7). Complete response was reported in one patient (soft tissue sarcoma of mandible) treated in neoadjuvant setting. In metastatic setting, ORR was 50% and DCR was 66.7% (CR: 16.7% (1/6), PR: 33.3% (2/6), SD: 16.7% (1/6)). At a median follow-up of 6.5 months (range: 0.06–20.2 months), median OS was not reached in neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings, but it was 15.8 months in metastatic setting. At least 1 AE was reported in 7 (63.6%) patients. Neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, lymphopenia, and anemia were the hematological AEs, whereas nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea were the most common nonhematological AEs. NDLS treatment was well tolerated without any new safety concerns.

Conclusion

Nanosomal docetaxel lipid suspension-based chemotherapy was efficacious and well tolerated in the treatment of sarcoma. Further prospective trials are needed to confirm the data.

The Outcome of Patients With Localized Undifferentiated Pleomorphic Sarcoma of the Lower Extremity Treated at Stanford University

BACKGROUND

As a diagnosis of exclusion, Undifferentiated Pleomorphic Sarcoma (UPS) has unclear clinical characteristics. The objective of this retrospective cohort study is to investigate which clinical and prognostic factors of primary lower-extremity UPS will determine failure.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed 55 primary lower-extremity UPS cases treated at Stanford between 1998 and 2015. Overall Survival (OS) and Disease-Free Survival (DFS) curves were calculated. Univariate Fisher's Exact Tests were used to examine relationships between disease recurrence, treatment, patient factors, tumor characteristics, and surgical margins.

RESULTS

5-year DFS and OS rates were 60% (95% CI, 45%-72%) and 68% (95% CI, 53%-79%), respectively. The 5-year DFS rate for patients with positive margins was 33.3% (95% CI, 5%-68%) compared with 63% (95% CI, 47%-76%) for patients with negative margins. (Log-rank, P=0.03). The OS rate for those with disease recurrence was 42% % (95% CI, 16%-67%) compared with 76% (95% CI, 59%-87%) for patients who did not have disease recurrence (log-rank, P=0.021). Local failure occurred more frequently with omission of radiation therapy (Fisher's exact test, P=0.009).

CONCLUSIONS

Positive surgical margins are an important prognostic factor for predicting relapse in UPS. Relapse of any kind led to worse OS. Radiation therapy improved local control of disease but had no statistically significant effect on DFS, highlighting the need for improved diagnostics to identify those at highest risk for hematogenous metastasis and for selection of patients for adjuvant systemic treatment.

Patient's quality of life after surgery and radiotherapy for extremity soft tissue sarcoma - a retrospective single-center study over ten years

Background and objectives

The purpose of this study is to analyze major complication rates and different aspects of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in extremity soft tissue sarcoma (STS) patients treated with or without radio (chemo) therapy and surgery.

Methods

We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent Extremity STS excision from 2004 to 2014 (182 patients included). Patients’ data were collected from patients’ records. HRQoL was assessed by using EORTC QLQ-C30.

Results

A total of 182 patients underwent sarcoma resection. After neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy (RCT), the major-complication rate amounted to 28% (vs. 7%, no radiotherapy, p <  0.001). Major-complication rates after adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) occurred in 8% (vs. 7%, no radiotherapy, p = 0.265). Comparison QoL scores between treating with neoadjuvant RCT or without RT revealed significant worse scores with neoadjuvant RCT. Further stratification of disease control of these patients showed significant reduced scores in the group of disease-free patients with neoadjuvant RCT compared to irradiated disease-free patients.

Discussion

To date, there have only been a few investigations of QoL in STS. Retrospective study on quality of life have limitations, like a lack of baseline evaluation of QoL. Patient candidated to radiation therapy could have had worse QoL baseline due to more advanced disease. Disease status of the patients who answered the questionnaires could have been an influence of QoL and we could show reduced scores in the group of disease-free patients with neoadjuvant RCT, but not for the patients with recurrence or metastasis, so it is very hard to discriminate whether radiation therapy could really have an impact or not.

Conclusion

This study might assist in further improving the understanding of QoL in STS patients and may animate for prospective studies examining the oncological therapies impact on HRQoL.

Dermatofibrosarcoma metastases to the pancreas: A case report

BACKGROUND

In general, malignant tumors metastasize to the pancreas in < 1% of cases. Most patients miss the opportunity for further surgery due to distant metastases; however, for fibrosarcomas, aggressive surgery may be helpful even if distant metastases occur. Hence, we report such a case and share some valuable information about the disease.

CASE SUMMARY

A 45-year-old man was admitted with recurrent epigastric pain for 10 days. The abdominal pain was mainly related to bloating with nausea, but no other associated symptoms. No particular signs were found on abdominal examination or laboratory testing. In 2003, a local distal expanded resection of the primary fibrosarcoma in the left chest wall was performed. Then, a left pneumonectomy was performed in 2017 due to diffuse metastases from the fibrosarcoma to the left lung. Enhanced computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging of the upper abdomen suggested multiple masses of different sizes involving the head and tail of the pancreas; no local lymph node enlargement was noted. The postoperative pathologic diagnosis revealed a fibrosarcoma of the pancreas. A CT re-examination 6 mo postoperatively showed no local recurrence or distant metastases.

CONCLUSION

A fibrosarcoma is a rare low-grade malignant tumor, and metastases to the pancreas are even rarer. Patients with a history of a fibrosarcoma should consider the possibility of metastasis when a pancreatic neoplasm is demonstrated. Surgical resection is the preferred treatment.

Giant retroperitoneal liposarcoma: A case report and literature review

Retroperitoneal liposarcomas are a heterogeneous group of mesenchymal tumours that have a wide spectrum of histological subtypes and vague clinical presentations. Herein, we present the case of a 75-year-old man with anorexia, weight loss of 7 kg, and a growing abdominal circumference within a span of 6 weeks. Computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis showed a large mass that filled almost the entire abdominal cavity. After consultation with a multidisciplinary tumour board, en bloc resection of the tumour was performed. In addition, the left kidney and a part of the left diaphragm were removed. The tumour measured 35 × 29 × 20.5 cm and weighed 11.6 kg. The histological report confirmed low-grade dedifferentiated liposarcoma with scarce atypical adipocytes, lipoblasts containing spindle cell, pleomorphic, and chondroid components. The patient had uneventful recovery and remained stable during the follow-up period. We report this case to highlight the need for customized surgical oncological measures in the treatment of solid abdominal tumours due to locoregional invasion that usually necessitates en bloc resection.

The clinical benefits of hormonal treatment for LG-ESS: a meta-analysis

PURPOSE

To evaluate the clinical benefits of hormonal treatment for patients with low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma (LG-ESS) by reviewing the published literature and performing a meta-analysis.

METHODS

Correlational studies related to hormonal treatment for LG-ESS patients were collected by searching the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases up to December 2018. Eligible studies were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The main inclusion criteria included: original studies with definite diagnoses of LG-ESS that evaluated the clinical benefits of hormonal treatment, studies with at least 10 cases, and studies published in English. Reviews, case reports, letters, comments or conference abstracts, studies without sufficient data and overlapping or republished studies were excluded. The study quality was evaluated, and pooled relative risks and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using Review Manager 5.3.

RESULTS

A total of 10 retrospective studies were included. The NOS stars of the 10 studies ranged from 7 to 9 points, which was considered to be of high quality. Recurrence and death information was provided in 9 and 6 studies, respectively. The overall pooled RR for recurrence was 0.66 (95% CI 0.47-0.94), which indicated that hormonal treatment was effective at reducing the recurrence risk (P = 0.02). The overall pooled RR for death was 0.81 (95% CI 0.59-1.12), which showed that hormonal treatment had little effect in prolonging overall survival (P = 0.20). Stratified analysis showed that compared with the group without any adjuvant treatments, hormonal treatment alone significantly decreased the risk of recurrence (P = 0.02), while hormonal treatment had no significant effects on overall survival (P = 0.38). Another subgroup analysis indicated that for stage I-II patients, hormonal treatment could significantly decrease the risk of recurrence (P = 0.02) but could not influence overall survival (P = 0.87). However, for stage III-IV patients, hormonal treatment had little benefit both in reducing the recurrence risk and prolonging overall survival (P = 0.49/0.08). Egger's and Begg's test showed that the publication bias for the literature was satisfactorily controlled.

CONCLUSION

Adjuvant hormonal treatment should be considered as a feasible adjuvant therapy for reducing the recurrence risk of patients with LG-ESS while bearing little benefit on overall survival.

[Resection margins in soft tissue sarcomas]

BACKGROUND

Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are a rare and heterogeneous group of malignant tumors that arise from the mesenchymal tissue. STS can form anywhere in the human body, with the extremities being preferred sites of predilection.

TREATMENT

A fundamental pillar of treatment is the surgical resection of soft tissue sarcomas. The goal is always an R0 resection with a safety margin. There is no consensus in the literature about the desired tumor-free resection margin. The decisive factors for these resection margins are histopathology, presence of anatomical barriers (capsule, tendon, fascia, cartilage, periosteum) and possibilities of (neo-) adjuvant therapy.

DISCUSSION

References in the literature support the role of resection margins as a predictor of local recurrence. Regarding the role of resection margins in overall survival, available data is divergent. There are known prognostic factors that influence overall survival, such as histological subtype, tumor size, tumor grading, and presence of metastases. So far, several studies have attempted to quantify the margins of resection, but no consensus has been reached, and debates are ongoing. When analyzing all the results of the data in the literature, it seems appropriate to aim for a negative resection margin >1 mm including an anatomical border structure, if possible.

Does palliative chemotherapy really palliate and are we measuring it correctly? A mixed methods longitudinal study of health related quality of life in advanced soft tissue sarcoma

Objective

Soft tissue sarcoma (STS) is a rare cancer type that when locally advanced or metastatic, is predominantly treated with palliative chemotherapy with the aim of improving both quantity and quality of life. Given modest survival data after commencing first line chemotherapy, this study examines (i) what constitutes health related quality of life (HRQoL), (ii) whether the most commonly used HRQoL assessment tool measures this and (iii) to what extent HRQoL, and its components, change during and after treatment.

Design

Mixed-methods longitudinal study of 66 sarcoma patients living with STS (42 commencing chemotherapy, 24 under surveillance after completing chemotherapy) involving serial EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaires and nested-qualitative semi-structured interviews with a sub-sample of participants. EORTC QLQ-C30 score change from baseline to primary evaluation point was examined using a paired t-test. Interviews were analysed using the framework approach before both datasets were integrated.

Results

Five main factors, including control of pain, were identified by study participants as important components of HRQoL; these are examined within the EORTC QLQ-C30. However, others e.g. independence loss and common causes of anxiety, are not. Whilst social and psychological domains are addressed by the EORTC QLQ-C30, the quantitative change over time did reflect qualitative descriptions of decline.

The mean overall EORTC QLQ-C30 HRQoL score deteriorated from baseline (60.4) to the primary evaluation point (50.2) [change of -10.2, t-test: -2.70, p = 0.01] for those receiving chemotherapy; this was in concordance with patients’ qualitative accounts. Baseline overall HRQoL scores were higher in the surveillance group suggesting a correlation with chemotherapy response and longer-term improvement in HRQoL. The evidence from both HRQoL scores and qualitative accounts indicated that the presence and control of physical symptoms were particularly important in maintaining HRQoL. Whilst fatigue deteriorated on chemotherapy (baseline 41.7 to 52.8; change of +11.1, t-test +2.51, p<0.05), pain (baseline 41.5 to 32.1; change -9.4, t-test -2.06 p<0.05) and sleep disturbance (43.1 to 28.5; change -14.6, t-test –3.05, p<0.05) both improved.

Conclusion

A key finding was that the EORTC QLQ-C30 assesses some but not all of the patient-reported components of HRQoL in sarcoma patients highlighting the need for either STS specific modules within the EORTC QLQ-C30 or a completely new STS specific HRQoL tool. First line palliative chemotherapy improves specific symptoms known to be prevalent and to influence HRQoL in this patient group which in some patients may translate to sustained improvement in HRQoL: further exploration and validation of these findings in larger prospective studies are warranted.

The SAFETY Investigators. The Surveillance After Extremity Tumor Surgery (SAFETY) trial: protocol for a pilot study to determine the feasibility of a multi-centre randomised controlled trial

INTRODUCTION

Following the treatment of patients with soft tissue sarcomas (STS) that are not metastatic at presentation, the high risk for local and systemic disease recurrence necessitates post-treatment surveillance. Systemic recurrence is most often detected in the lungs. The most appropriate surveillance frequency and modality remain unknown and, as such, clinical practice is highly varied. We plan to assess the feasibility of conducting a multi-centre randomised controlled trial (RCT) that will evaluate the effect on overall 5-year survival of two different surveillance frequencies and imaging modalities in patients with STS who undergo surgical excision with curative intent.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The Surveillance After Extremity Tumor Surgery trial will be a multi-centre 2×2 factorial RCT. Patients with non-metastatic primary Grade II or III STS treated with excision will be allocated to one of four treatment arms1: chest radiograph (CXR) every 3 months for 2 years2; CXR every 6 months for 2 years3; chest CT every 3 months for 2 years or4 chest CT every 6 months for 2 years. The primary outcome of the pilot study is the feasibility of a definitive RCT based on a combination of feasibility endpoints. Secondary outcomes for the pilot study include the primary outcome of the definitive trial (overall survival), patient-reported outcomes on anxiety, satisfaction and quality of life, local recurrence-free survival, metastasis-free survival, treatment-related complications and net healthcare costs related to surveillance.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This trial received provisional ethics approval from the McMaster/Hamilton Health Sciences Research Ethics Board on 7 August 2019 (Project number 7562). Final ethics approval will be obtained prior to commencing patient recruitment. Once feasibility has been established and the definitive protocol is finalised, the study will transition to the definitive study.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT03944798; Pre-results.

Effect of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Plus Regional Hyperthermia on Long-term Outcomes Among Patients With Localized High-Risk Soft Tissue Sarcoma: The EORTC 62961-ESHO 95 Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance

Patients with soft tissue sarcoma are at risk for local recurrence and distant metastases despite optimal local treatment. Preoperative anthracycline plus ifosfamide chemotherapy improves outcome in common histological subtypes.

Objective

To analyze whether the previously reported improvement in local progression-free survival by adding regional hyperthermia to neoadjuvant chemotherapy translates into improved survival.

Design, Setting, and Participants

Open-label, phase 3 randomized clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and toxic effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus regional hyperthermia. Adult patients (age ≥18 years) with localized soft tissue sarcoma (tumor ≥5 cm, French Federation Nationale des Centers de Lutte Contre le Cancer [FNCLCC] grade 2 or 3, deep) were accrued across 9 centers (6, Germany; 1, Norway; 1, Austria; 1, United States) from July 1997 to November 2006. Follow-up ended December 2014.

Interventions

After stratification for tumor presentation and site, patients were randomly assigned to either neoadjuvant chemotherapy consisting of doxorubicin, ifosfamide, and etoposide alone, or combined with regional hyperthermia.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary end point was local progression-free survival. Secondary end points included treatment safety and survival, with survival defined from date of randomization to death due to disease or treatment. Patients lost to follow-up were censored at the date of their last follow-up.

Results

A total of 341 patients were randomized, and 329 (median [range] age, 51 [18-70] years; 147 women, 182 men) were eligible for the intention-to-treat analysis. By December 2014, 220 patients (67%; 95% CI, 62%-72%) had experienced disease relapse, and 188 (57%; 95% CI, 52%-62%) had died. Median follow-up was 11.3 years. Compared with neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone, adding regional hyperthermia improved local progression-free survival (hazard ratio [HR], 0.65; 95% CI, 0.49-0.86; P = .002). Patients randomized to chemotherapy plus hyperthermia had prolonged survival rates compared with those randomized to neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone (HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.54-0.98; P = .04) with 5-year survival of 62.7% (95% CI, 55.2%-70.1%) vs 51.3% (95% CI, 43.7%-59.0%), respectively, and 10-year survival of 52.6% (95% CI, 44.7%-60.6%) vs 42.7% (95% CI, 35.0%-50.4%).

Conclusions and Relevance

Among patients with localized high-risk soft tissue sarcoma the addition of regional hyperthermia to neoadjuvant chemotherapy resulted in increased survival, as well as local progression-free survival. For patients who are candidates for neoadjuvant treatment, adding regional hyperthermia may be warranted.

Trial Registration

clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00003052.

Radiomic features from MRI distinguish myxomas from myxofibrosarcomas

BACKGROUND

Myxoid tumors pose diagnostic challenges for radiologists and pathologists. All myxoid tumors can be differentiated from each other using fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) or immunohistochemical markers, except for myxomas and myxofibrosarcomas. Myxomas and myxofibrosarcomas are rare tumors. Myxomas are benign and histologically bland, whereas myxofibrosarcomas are malignant and histologically heterogenous. Because of the histological heterogeneity, low grade myxofibrosarcomas may be mistaken for myxomas on core needle biopsies. We evaluated the performance of T1-weighted signal intensity (T1SI), tumor volume, and radiomic features extracted from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to differentiate myxomas from myxofibrosarcomas.

METHODS

The MRIs of 56 patients (29 with myxomas, 27 with myxofibrosarcomas) were analyzed. We extracted 89 radiomic features. Random forests based classifiers using the T1SI, volume features, and radiomic features were used to differentiate myxomas from myxofibrosarcomas. The classifiers were validated using a leave-one-out cross-validation. The performances of the classifiers were then compared.

RESULTS

Myxomas had lower normalized T1SI than myxofibrosaromas (p = 0.006) and the AUC using the T1SI was 0.713. However, the classification model using radiomic features had an AUC of 0.885 (accuracy = 0.839, sensitivity = 0.852, specificity = 0.828), and outperformed the classification models using T1SI (AUC = 0.713) and tumor volume (AUC = 0.838). The classification model using radiomic features was significantly better than the classifier using T1SI values (p = 0.039).

CONCLUSIONS

Myxofibrosarcomas are on average higher in T1-weighted signal intensity than myxomas. Myxofibrosarcomas are larger and have shape differences compared to myxomas. Radiomic features performed best for differentiating myxomas from myxofibrosarcomas compared to T1-weighted signal intensity and tumor volume features.

Conjunctival Leiomyosarcoma, a Rare Neoplasm Always Originating at the Limbus? Report of a New Case and Review of 11 Published Cases

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

To describe the differential diagnosis and management of a rare conjunctival malignancy.

PROCEDURES

A 79-year-old man presented with a conjunctival mass at the limbus. Excisional biopsy revealed a malignant mesenchymal tumor with myogenic differentiation. Six months later, three suspect lesions developed at the border of the previous excision. Pathological diagnosis pointed to a leiomyosarcoma. Adjuvant radiotherapy with strontium-90 brachytherapy was applied. After 3 years, there was neither recurrence nor distant metastases. A literature review revealed 11 cases of conjunctival leiomyosarcoma.

RESULTS

All 12 cases seemed to originate at the limbal conjunctiva. Scleral invasion was found only in one patient with multiple previous resections. Corneal invasion was reported in two patients. Four patients had a globe-sparing resection. In two of them, margins were not tumor free and additional brachytherapy gave a tumor-free follow-up of 1 and 3 years. Four cases underwent an exenteration.

CONCLUSION AND MESSAGE

Primary conjunctival leiomyosarcoma is a rare tumor with a favorable prognosis due to early detection and consequently limited size. Diagnosis involves histopathological investigation including immunohistochemistry. If possible, complete resection has the best prognosis. Adjunctive radiotherapy can be effective when the margins are not free and should be considered.

Early and Late Complications of Percutaneous Core Needle Biopsy of Retroperitoneal Tumors at Two Tertiary Sarcoma Centers

BACKGROUND

Concern persists regarding percutaneous core needle biopsy (CNB) of a potentially malignant lesion of the retroperitoneum due to the perceived risk of immediate complications and adverse oncologic outcomes, including needle tract seeding (NTS).

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of (1) early complications and (2) NTS following CNB of suspected retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS).

METHODS

Patients who underwent CNB of an RP mass with pre-biopsy suspicion of sarcoma were identified from a prospective database at two centers: (1) Princess Margaret Cancer Centre/Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto (2009-2015); and (2) The Ottawa Hospital (1999-2015). Early complications, including bleeding, pain, infection, and organ injury, were recorded. Instances of NTS were identified from long-term follow-up of patients who underwent resection of primary RPS at these two centers after initial CNB (1996-2013).

RESULTS

Of 358 percutaneous CNBs of suspected RPS performed over the study period, 7 (2.0%) resulted in minor bleeding with no transfusion, 3 (0.8%) resulted in significant pain, 1 (0.3%) resulted in unplanned admission to hospital for observation, and 1 (0.3%) resulted in a pneumothorax. There were no infections. In 203 patients who underwent resection of RPS following CNB, crude cumulative local recurrence was 24% at 5 years. At a median follow-up of 44 months, there was one case of NTS (approximately 0.5%).

CONCLUSION

This large bi-institutional experience with CNB of an RP mass demonstrates that both the early complication rate and the incidence of NTS are very low. Physicians and patients can be reassured that the benefits of CNB in diagnosing sarcoma and determining its histologic subtype and grade far outweigh the risks.

Local and Metastatic Relapse Features in Patients After a Primary Soft Tissue Sarcoma: Advocating for a Better-Tailored Follow-Up

Background: No consensus exists on how to follow patients after complete remission of a primary Soft Tissue Sarcoma (STS). Studying relapse features could help tailor guidelines for follow-up.

Patients and Methods: Patients in complete remission after initial management of a localized STS at Institut Bergonié who presented a first local and/or metastatic relapse between January 1995 and July 2015 were eligible. Characteristics of relapse diagnosis were retrospectively collected.

Results: 359 patients met inclusion criteria. 197 and 187 patients presented a local relapse and a metastatic relapse, respectively. In group 1 (limbs/trunk wall) and 2 (trunk/gynecological/other location), local relapse was diagnosed on clinical symptoms in 89 and 44% of cases, first detected by the patient himself in 68.5 and 34% of cases, and outside a planned visit in 67 and 36% of cases, respectively. In patients with metastatic relapse, diagnosis was made during a planned visit in 63% of cases, and by imaging in 62% of cases. Median survival after relapse was not different whether the first local relapse was diagnosed clinically or by imaging (44 [95%CI: 28–69.8] vs. 57 months [95%CI: 33.9–84.5], p = 0.35) but was longer if diagnosis of metastatic relapse was made on planned chest-CT scan rather than chest X-ray (58 [95%CI: 35.5–103.9] vs. 25 months [95%CI: 16.5–32.6], p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Patient's education for regular clinical examination can be recommended for follow-up of local relapses after a primary STS of the limbs or superficial trunk. Modeling studies aiming at better understanding and predicting tumor biology to improve tailoring STS patients' follow-up are warranted.

Clinical Outcomes and Costs Following Unplanned Excisions of Soft Tissue Sarcomas in the Elderly

BACKGROUND

Surgical guidelines for soft tissue sarcoma (STS) emphasize pretreatment evaluation and reports of the perils of unplanned excision exist. Given the paucity of population-based data on this topic, our objective was to analyze clinical outcomes and costs of planned versus unplanned STS excisions in the Medicare population.

METHODS

We analyzed 3913 surgical patients with STS ≥66 y old from 1992 to 2011 using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare datafiles. Planned excisions were classified based on preoperative MRI and/or biopsy, whereas unplanned excisions were classified by excision as the first procedure. Inverse probability of treatment weighting with propensity scores was used to adjust for clinicopathologic differences. Re-excisions, complications, and Medicare payments were compared with multivariate models. Overall survival and disease-specific survival were analyzed using Cox proportional hazards and competing risk models.

RESULTS

Before the first excision, 24.3% had an MRI and biopsy, 27.3% had an MRI, 11.4% had a biopsy, and 36.9% were unplanned. Re-excision rates were highest for unplanned excisions: 46.3% compared to 18.1%, 36.4%, and 29.7% for other groups (P < 0.0001). There was no difference in disease-specific survival or overall survival between groups (P > 0.05). Planned excisions were associated with increased Medicare costs (P < 0.05), with the first resection contributing to the majority of costs. Subgroup analyses by histologic grade and tumor size revealed similar results.

CONCLUSIONS

Survival was comparable with greater health care costs in elderly patients undergoing planned STS excision. Although unplanned excisions remain a quality of care issue with high re-excision rates, these data have important implications for the surgical management of STS in the elderly.