LOCAL RECURRENCES OF SOFT-TISSUE SARCOMAS IN ADULTS - A RETROSPECTIVEANALYSIS OF PROGNOSTIC FACTORS IN 102 CASES AFTER SURGERY AND RADIATION-THERAPY

Between 1974 and 1990, 102 adult patients (age 18-86 years) with the d iagnosis of a soft tissue sarcoma (STS) were treated with photons and/ or electrons in combination with surgery. The total doses in the initi al treatment volume (second order target volume) was 40-50 Gy. For the coning down volume (first order target volume) the median total dose was 59 Gy(range 45-72 Gy). A total of 18% (18/102) local failures was observed. In multivariate analysis, prognostic factors for the occurre nce of a local failure were identified as follows: treatment of a prim ary or recurrent STS (P = 0.02), total dose (P = 0.025) and tumour gra de (P = 0.05). Mode of surgery, tumour size (trunk versus extremity), pre- or postoperative radiotherapy, combined chemotherapy and tumour s ize (T1 versus T2) had no significant impact on the local relapse-free survival. These data give further evidence that combined surgery and radiotherapy is an effective modality in treatment of soft tissue sarc omas.