Clinicopathologic Characteristics, Treatment Outcomes, and Prognostic Factors of Primary Thoracic Soft Tissue Sarcoma: A Multicenter Study of the Anatolian Society of Medical Oncology (ASMO)

Background: Soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) are rare malignant tumors of embryogenic mesoderm origin. Primary thoracic STSs account for a small percentage of all STSs and limited published information is available. This study aimed to identify the prognostic factors for thoracic STSs and evaluate the disease's clinical outcomes.

Methods: The medical records of 109 patients with thoracic STSs who were treated between 2003 and 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients' survival rates were analyzed and potential prognostic factors evaluated.

Results: The median follow-up period was 29 months (range: 1-121 months). STSs were most frequently localized on the chest wall (n = 42; 38.5%) and lungs (n = 42; 38.5%). The most common histological types were malignant fibrous histiocytoma (n = 23; 21.1%), liposarcoma (n = 17; 15.6%), and leiomyosarcoma (n = 16; 14.7%). The median survival time of all patients was 40.3 months (95% confidence interval, 14.22-66.37 months), with one and five-year survival rates of 93.4% and 63.5%, respectively. Univariate analysis of all groups revealed that metastatic stage, unresectability, tumor diameter of >10 cm, tumor location other than the chest wall, and grade 3 diseases were predictable of poor survival. However, only grade 3 diseases and tumor location other than the chest wall were confirmed by multivariate analysis as poor prognostic factors.

Conclusions: Primary thoracic STSs are rarely seen malignant tumors. Our results indicated that patients with low-grade tumors and those localized on the chest wall often experienced better survival outcomes.