Life expectancy in soft tissue sarcomas
Life expectancy in soft tissue sarcomas depends on many prognostic factors. With appropriate treatment at specialised centres, survival rates have improved in recent decades.
Main prognostic factors
Complete resection (R0): Negative margins are the most important prognostic factor. R0: 5-year survival 50-70%. R1/R2: 10-30%
Histological grade: Low grade: 70-85% at 5 years. High grade: 30-50%
Tumour size: <5cm: better prognosis. >10cm: worse prognosis. >20cm: requires specialised surgery
Depth: Superficial: better than deep/retroperitoneal
Histological subtype: Well-differentiated liposarcoma: very good. Leiomyosarcoma, pleomorphic: worse
Age: <60 years: better than >60 years
Location: Limbs: better. Retroperitoneum/abdomen: worse
Survival by stage
Stage I (low grade, small): 5-year survival: 80-90%
Stage II (small high grade or large low grade): 60-75%
Stage III (large high grade): 50-65%
Stage IV (metastatic): 15-30%
Survival by subtype
Well-differentiated liposarcoma: >90% at 10 years if resection is complete
Myxoid liposarcoma: 70-80% at 5 years
Dedifferentiated/pleomorphic liposarcoma: 30-50% at 5 years
Leiomyosarcoma: 40-60% at 5 years
Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma: 30-50% at 5 years
GIST: With imatinib: 70-85% at 5 years in resectable cases
The importance of a specialised centre
Patients treated at specialised centres have 20-30% higher survival than in general hospitals. See how to choose a centre.
At Quenet Torrent Institute: R0 resection rate >85%, perioperative mortality <2%, 5-year survival similar to that published by international high-volume centres.
Treatments that improve survival
R0 surgery: The main treatment. It includes vascular resections if necessary
Radiotherapy: Preoperative or intraoperative radiotherapy improves local control. See intraoperative radiotherapy
Chemotherapy: Anthracyclines + ifosfamide in high grade
Targeted therapies: Imatinib for GIST, pazopanib in advanced sarcomas
Recurrences
Local recurrence: 20-40% of cases. Further surgery can offer a new chance of cure if resectable
Lung metastases: 30-50% of high-grade sarcomas. Pulmonary metastasectomy can prolong survival
Do you have a sarcoma? The team's experience affects the success of surgery. At Quenet Torrent Institute we treat complex sarcomas. Request a second opinion.