Soft tissue sarcoma across the age spectrum: A population‐based study from the surveillance epidemiology and end results database

Abstract

Background Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are a heterogeneous group of mesenchymal malignancies that occur throughout the lifespan. The impact of age on disease features and outcome is unclear. Methods We analyzed the clinical features and outcome of all STS cases registered between 1973 and 2006 in the SEER database. Results There were 48,012 cases that met the selection criteria. Individuals less than 20 years of age represented 5.6%, with rhabdomyosarcoma being the most common subtype. In adults, the most common types were Kaposi sarcoma, fibrohistiocytic tumors, and leiomyosarcoma. Rhabdomyosarcoma was the only entity with a median age < 20 years. Male predominance (male:female of 1.5:1) was noticed for almost all types of STS, except for alveolar soft part sarcoma and leiomyosarcoma. Tumor stage was similar across different age groups. Younger patients (<50 years) had significantly better survival than older patients (88.8%±0.2% vs. 40%±0.3%, P<0.001), but for most histologies the survival decline with advancing age was gradual and did not occur abruptly at the onset of adulthood. The decline in survival with advancing age was particularly significant for rhabdomyosarcoma. Conclusion With few exceptions, the clinical features of STS are similar in children and adults. However, individuals over 50 years of age have an inferior survival.

Socio-economic Factors Affect the Outcome of Soft Tissue Sarcoma: an Analysis of SEER Data

“…The Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) cancer registry data have been used to build prognostic models for soft tissue sarcoma (Ferrari et al, 2011), however, the impact of socio-economic disparities used in this study has not been well studied. Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are a heterogeneous group of sarcoma (Ferrari et al, 2011). SEER data have been a particularly important source for identifying disparities in treatment (Cheung, 2013a, b, c).…”

Survival patterns in teenagers and young adults with cancer in the United Kingdom: Comparisons with younger and older age groups

“…The lower TYA survival in soft tissue sarcoma may be due to the less favourable case-mix including Ewing's family of tumours of soft tissue and alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma [24]. In the United States, however, there was no evidence of lower survival of TYAs with soft-tissue sarcoma, but marked variation in survival by age for several histological sub-types [25].…”

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Soft Tissue Sarcoma of the Extremity or Trunk, Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors, and Retroperitoneal Sarcoma

“…The incidence rate for soft tissue sarcoma is approximately 6/ 100000/ year (Ferrari et al, 2011). Soft tissue sarcomas make up a small fraction of the overall cancer burden.…”