BACKGROUND: To describe clinical presentation of high-grade soft tissue sarcomas, oncologic management and results at Araújo Jorge Hospital (HAJ). METHODS: We analyzed 131 patients with high-grade soft sarcomas in adults admitted at Araújo Jorge Hospital between 1996 and 2000. We studied, age, gender, pathological characteristics (size and histological type), localization, oncology treatment (organ or limb-sparing approach, margins, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy), local recurrence, distant recurrence and overall survival. We used descriptive analysis, Kaplan-Meier methodology, log-rank test and Chi-square test. RESULTS: Two hundred thirty-five patients with soft tissue sarcomas were admitted between 1996 and 2000. A hundred thirty-one were high-grade sarcomas. Median age was 47.2 years. We could not determinate a histological type in 23.7% of cases. The more frequents types were leiomyosarcoma (13.7%), synovial sarcoma (10.7%) and rhabdomyosarcoma (9.2%). Median size was 10cm (2-48cm). The distribution for stages II, III e IV was 15%, 55% and 30%, respectively. For stages II and III, surgical margins were adequate in 51.9% of cases. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy were performed in 33.7% and 26.1% of cases, respectively. Local recurrences occurred in 31.5% and distant recurrences in 34.8% of patients. The 5-year overall survival was 61.8%. CONCLUSION: Most of the patients that were treated at Araújo Jorge Hospital have large and locally advanced tumors, with metastatic spread at first presentation. The patients with high-grade sarcomas presented adverse clinical evolution, high rates of local and distant recurrences as described in the literature.
Neoplasms; Sarcoma; Surgery; Drug therapy; Radiotherapy
