Patterns of care of superficial soft tissue sarcomas: it is not always just a lump

Surgery at specialised sarcoma centres improves patient outcomes - A systematic review by the Australia and New Zealand sarcoma association clinical practice guidelines working party

BACKGROUND

Optimal management of sarcoma requires multidisciplinary team input throughout the process of diagnosis, treatment and follow up. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the impact of surgery performed at specialised sarcoma centres on outcomes.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted using the population, intervention, comparison and outcome (PICO) model. Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central databases were queried for publications that evaluated the local control, limb salvage rate, 30-day and 90-day surgical mortality, and overall survival in patients undergoing surgery in a specialist sarcoma centre compared with non-specialist centre. Each study was screened by two independent reviewers for suitability. A qualitative synthesis of the results was performed.

RESULTS

Sixty-six studies were identified. The majority of studies were Level III-3 as assessed by the NHMRC Evidence Hierarchy, whilst just over half of the studies were of good quality. Definitive surgery performed at specialised sarcoma centres was associated with improved local control as defined by lower rate of local relapse, higher rate of negative surgical margins, improved local recurrence free survival and higher limb conservation rate. Available evidences show a favourable pattern of lower 30-day and 90-day mortality rates, and greater overall survival when surgery was performed in specialist sarcoma centres compared with non-specialised centres.

CONCLUSIONS

Evidences support better oncological outcomes when surgery is performed at specialised sarcoma centre. Patients with suspected sarcoma should be referred early to a specialised sarcoma centre for multidisciplinary management, which includes planned biopsy and definitive surgery.

The benefit for radiotherapy at specialised sarcoma centres: A systematic review and clinical practice guidelines from the Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association

Patients with sarcoma are best managed at specialised sarcoma centres as supported by published literature. Optimal management requires multidisciplinary team input to formulate the diagnosis and treatment sequencing taking into consideration multiple clinical and pathologic factors. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the impact on outcomes of radiotherapy at specialised sarcoma centres. A systematic review was conducted using the population, intervention, comparison and outcome model. A literature search was performed using Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central databases for publications from 1990 to February 2022 that evaluated the local control, survival and toxicity of radiotherapy at specialised sarcoma centres. A total of 21 studies were included (17 cancer registry studies, four retrospective comparative studies). Four studies reported the local recurrence endpoint when radiotherapy was part of limb conservation treatment and showed better conformity to clinical practice guidelines and an improved local recurrence free rate when radiotherapy treatment is supported through, but may not be necessarily delivered at a specialised sarcoma centres. Only one retrospective study analysed toxicity specifically and demonstrated that patients who received preoperative radiotherapy at community centres compared to radiotherapy at a specialised sarcoma centre were more likely to develop a major wound complication. Fourteen studies reported overall survival, and 12 of these showed significantly better 5-year overall survival for patients managed at specialised sarcoma centres, however the specific impact of radiotherapy delivered at sarcoma centres could not be determined. In conclusion, patients with sarcoma should be managed through specialised sarcoma centres for better oncological outcomes. Radiotherapy in specialised sarcoma centre is associated with a lower rate of wound complications and may contribute to improved oncological outcomes as part of the limb conservation treatment at a specialised sarcoma centre.

Trends in practice patterns and outcomes: A decade of sarcoma care in the United States

BACKGROUND

Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) represent a rare and heterogeneous group of tumors. We sought to characterize national trends in referral patterns, treatment strategies, and overall survival (OS) over the course of a decade.

METHODS

Adult patients with extra-abdominal STS were identified using the National Cancer Database and categorized by diagnosis year (2005-2009 and 2010-2014). High-volume hospitals (HVH) were defined as those >90^th percentile in volume of STS patients treated, and others were defined as low-volume hospitals (LVH). Standard statistical methods were used to compare treatment strategies and OS by diagnosis period.

RESULTS

Of 55,212 patients, 25,469 (46.1%) were diagnosed in 2005-2009 and 29,743 (53.9%) in 2010-2014. Despite increased utilization of neoadjuvant radiation therapy (26.6% vs. 34.8%, P < 0.001), the rate of R0 resections did not change (75.0% vs. 74.8%, P = 0.067). Furthermore, at a national level, OS did not improve over time (HR 0.99, 95% CI 0.96-1.01). When outcomes were stratified by volume, treatment at HVH compared to LVH was associated with improved rates of R0 resection (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.20-1.35) and OS (HR 0.92, 95% CI 0.89-0.95). Moreover, there was a modest improvement in OS at HVH (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.91-1.00), but not at LVH (HR 1.01, 95% CI 0.97-1.04). However, referral to HVH did not change over time (40.7% vs. 40.7%, P = 0.91).

CONCLUSION

OS for STS did not change at a national level over the course of a decade, although it improved at HVH. Further outcome improvements will likely require more effective systemic therapies.