The adequacy of resection margin for non-infiltrative soft-tissue sarcomas

Abstract Objectives There remains no consensus on what constitutes an adequate margin of resection for non-infiltrative soft-tissue sarcomas (STSs). We aimed to investigate the role of resection margins in millimetres for non-infiltrative STSs. Methods 502 patients who underwent surgical resection for a localized, non-infiltrative, high-grade STSs were studied. The prognostic significance of margin width was analysed and compared with the conventional R- and R+1-classification of surgical margins. Results The overall local recurrence (LR) rate was 13%; 9% and 27% with negative and positive margins, respectively (p  5.0 mm. When classified by the R- (or R+1)-classification, the 5-year cumulative LR incidence was 8%, 23% (16%), and 31% for R0, R1, and R2, respectively, which did not stratify the LR risk with negative margins. On the other hand, an accurate risk stratification was possible by metric distance; the 5-year cumulative incidence of LR was 29%, 10%, and 1% with 0 mm, 0.1–5.0 mm, and >5.0 mm, respectively (p  Conclusion While a negative margin is essential to optimize local control in patients with non-infiltrative STSs, surgical margin width greater than 5 mm minimises the risk of local failure regardless of the use of adjuvant radiotherapy.