Abstract
IntroductionSoft tissue sarcomas (STS) consist of over 70 histologic subtypes and constitute only 1% of adult malignancies. The fulcrum of management is surgical resection with neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment-chemoradiation.MethodsThe study is a retrospective review of consecutive STS patients who had surgery at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, between October 2007-2017. Data extraction was from the admission and operative registers, theatre records and histology reports. Statistical analysis was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 (Chicago IL USA). Results were summarized as charts and graphs.ResultsFive hundred and ninety six cases of STS were seen over the ten-year period. Of these, 383 (64.3%) patients had surgery and the case files of 326 (85.1%) of these patients was available for review. The duration of soft tissue swelling, ranged from 1-96 months. A third of the tumors were superficial while 68% were deep-seated. Oncoplastic reconstruction was done in 42(13%) patients. The resection margin was negative in 88%. A total of 202 patients were followed up regularly for between 24-36 months only.ConclusionPatients who benefitted from definitive surgical treatment for STS were found to be the young and middle age group. These patients had extended duration of symptoms with lesions > 5cm in size. Truncal and visceral STS had the worst prognosis. A Multi-Disciplinary Tumor (MDT) board for STS and a robust follow up would enhance the management of STS in a low resource setting.
Highlights
Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) represents the uncommon, but ubiquitous group of neoplasms of mesenchymal tissue which apt to be found in most organ systems are all the same rare in overall prevalence
We present our findings from a 10-year review of STS patients who had surgery in an academic surgical oncology practice in Ibadan, a University Teaching Hospital in Nigeria
The low local recurrence rate and distant metastasis following surgical resection despite little or no adjuvant therapy emphasizes the importance of surgical care and negative resection margins in a Low and Middle Income Country (LMIC) like ours
Summary
Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) represents the uncommon, but ubiquitous group of neoplasms of mesenchymal tissue which apt to be found in most organ systems are all the same rare in overall prevalence They constitute only one percent (1%) of all adult malignancies [1,2,3,4]; but have over 70 histologic subtypes [5] with proven heterogeneity in terms of anatomic primary site, clinical presentation, prognosis and therapeutic features [6, 7]. We present our findings from a 10-year review of STS patients who had surgery in an academic surgical oncology practice in Ibadan, a University Teaching Hospital in Nigeria
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