UTERINE SARCOMA IN THE SOUTH OF ISRAEL - STUDY OF 36 CASES

Background: Uterine sarcomas are rare, charaterized by rapid clinical progression and poor prognosis, and their management has been a challe nge. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical and his tologic findings, treatment, and outcome of patients with uterine sarc oma in the south of Israel. Methods: Data from the files of 36 patient s with uterine sarcoma who were managed at the Soroka Medical Center b etween January 1961 and December 1994 were evaluated. Results: The 5-y ear survival rate was 32% overall; 63% for 9 patients with endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS), 30% for 14 patients with mixed mesodermal sarc oma (MMS) and 18% for 13 patients with leiomyosarcoma (LMS); 41% for 2 2 patients with Stage I and 19% for 14 patients with Stages II, III, a nd IV. Only the difference in the 5-year survival rate between ESS and LMS was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Eleven patients (30.6%) were treated with surgery alone, 4 (11.1%) with surgery followed by p elvic radiotherapy, 11 (30.6%) with surgery followed by chemotherapy, 8 (22.2%) with surgery followed by pelvic radiotherapy and chemotherap y, one (2.8%) with chemotherapy alone, and one (2.8%) had no treatment . Conclusions: Uterine sarcomas are aggressive tumors with a poor prog nosis. The treatment is surgery generally followed by adjuvant pelvic radiotherapy and/or systemic chemotherapy. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.