Prognostic factors in adult patients with locally controlled soft tissue sarcoma. A study of 546 patients from the French Federation of Cancer Centers Sarcoma Group.

PURPOSETo define the prognostic factors in adult patients with locally controlled soft tissue sarcoma (STS) and to determine which patients should be considered for adjuvant treatment.PATIENTS AND METHODSFive hundred forty-six patients with a nonmetastatic and locally controlled STS, collected in a cooperative data base by the French Federation of Cancer Centers (FNCLCC) Sarcoma Group from 1980 and 1989, were studied. Histologic slides of all patients were collegially reviewed. Initial treatment consisted of complete tumor resection with amputation in only 4% of the patients. Adjuvant radiotherapy was administered to 57.9% and adjuvant chemotherapy to 31%. Relationships between tumor characteristics were analyzed, and univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using Cox models for the hazards rate of tumor mortality, development of distant metastasis, and strictly local recurrence.RESULTSUnfavorable characteristics with an independent prognostic value for tumor mortality were: grade 3 (P = 3 x 10...