Incidence patterns of soft tissue sarcomas, regardless of primary site, in the surveillance, epidemiology and end results program, 1978–2001: An analysis of 26,758 cases

Abstract

Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are a heterogeneous group of uncommon tumors that show a broad range of differentiation that may reflect etiologic distinction. Routine tabulations of STS are not morphology-specific. Further, the lack of inclusion of sarcomas arising in all organs in most standard evaluations underestimates the true rates. We analyzed the 1978-2001 Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results program incidence rates of STS regardless of primary site, except bones and joints, using the 2002 criteria of the WHO classification. There were 26,758 cases available for analysis. Leiomyosarcomas accounted for 23.9%, malignant fibrous histiocytomas 17.1%, liposarcomas 11.5%, dermatofibrosarcomas 10.5%, rhabdomyosarcomas 4.6% and angiosarcomas 4.1%. Almost half (47.9%) of the sarcomas arose in the soft tissues, 14.0% in the skin and 7.0% in the uterus. Overall, incidence rates were highest among black women (6.26/100,000 womanyears) and the lowest among white women (4.60/100,000). Ageadjusted rates increased at 1.2% and 0.8% per year among white males and females, respectively, both trends statistically significant, while rates among blacks declined slightly. About 40% of leiomyosarcomas among women were uterine in origin, with a black/white rate ratio of 1.7. This rate ratio increased to 2.0 when we accounted for the lower prevalence of intact uteri among black compared to white women. Total STS rates rose exponentially with age. Rates for both uterine leiomyosarcoma and dermatofibrosarcoma increased rapidly during the childbearing years, peaking at about age 40 and 50, respectively. Incidence patterns of STS varied markedly by histologic type, supporting the notion that these tumors may be etiologically distinct. ' 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Key words: soft tissue sarcomas; SEER; incidence; leiomyosarcoma; WHO; dermatofibrosarcoma; liposarcoma; rhabdomyosarcoma; angiosarcoma; malignant fibrous histiocytoma Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) represent less than 1% of malignant tumors, and little is known about their etiology or incidence patterns.1,2 This heterogeneous group of mesenchymal neoplasms are relatively rare and may arise in soft tissue, skin or various organs, and show a broad range of differentiation, such as smooth muscle (leiomyosarcoma), adipocyte (liposarcoma), striated muscle (rhabdomyosarcoma), endothelium (angiosarcoma) or fibroblast (e.g., dermatofibrosarcoma).3 Standard Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program tabulations of STS only include sarcomas arising in soft tissue, but not those arising in specific organs such as the skin and organ sites.4,5 Therefore, the SEER tabulations of STS underestimate the true rates. In the 1993, the national estimate of STS was 6,000 cases per year, which rose to 11,400 when sarcomas arising in specific organs were included.6 At that time, rising incidence rates for STS were attributed to increases in Kaposi sarcoma (KS), with STS trends flat when KS was excluded.Recent reports 7-15 have linked specific genetic, immunodeficiency, viral infection and e...

Epidemiological study of soft‐tissue sarcomas in Ireland

“…Common tumor sites in different age groups were also similar to other population‐based studies 2, 4.…”

“…In contrast, few other European studies, studies from the United Kingdom and the United States report a higher incidence of STS in males 15, for example, Toro et al. (U.S.A.) 2 and a regional study based in France and Italy 17. Hence, due to inconsistencies in results from various studies, clear gender predilection of STS cannot be obtained.…”

Clinico-Pathological Study of Sarcomatous Neoplasms- Five Year Data of a Regional Cancer Center

“…Higher incidence of STS in females, as found in Austria, is reported for Switzerland too [5]. In the United States, the two studies of Ross et al [6] and Toro et al [7] present different male-to-female ratios, even though both studies have comprised their dataset from the SEER program. In our study we found its slightly male predominance.…”

Outcome of Treatment in Uterine Sarcoma: Fifteen Years Experience at A Regional Cancer Centre

“…Uterine sarcoma accounts for3-5% of all uterine malignancies (1) . This tumor has been considered as highly aggressive, showing a poor prognosis (2) .…”