Surgical excision and not chemotherapy is the most powerful modality in treating synovial sarcoma: the UK's North East experience.

Abstract

We reviewed our experience of synovial sarcoma to identify factors predictive of local recurrence and overall survival, the impact of chemotherapy and outcomes after surgical excision alone. 81 patients were treated between 1997 and 2014 of mean age 39years (8-78). Tumours were in the extremity in 55 (67%). 9 patients presented with metastases and 10 with unresectable disease. Mean follow-up was 3.7years (SD 3.8). Treatment groups were palliative, surgery only, surgery and radiotherapy, or surgery with chemotherapy (with or without radiotherapy). Local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) was 73% at 5years, and 68% at 10 and 15years. In multivariate analysis, positive surgical margins were an independent predictor of LRFS. Overall survival (OS) was 50% at 5years for all patients, and 62% at 5years for those treated with curative intent. Larger tumour size and non-extremity locations were predictors of poorer OS. Patients who had chemotherapy did not have significantly better OS or LRS than others. These results show that where feasible, curative resection should not be delayed for chemotherapy. Treatment with surgery only can be associated with good outcomes in selected patients with smaller extremity tumours; although our series is small.