Disparities in Perioperative Radiation Therapy Use in Elderly Patients With Soft-Tissue Sarcoma

Purpose The benefit of perioperative radiation therapy in elderly patients with soft-tissue sarcoma (STS) is unclear due to the underrepresentation of elderly patients in clinical trials. We assessed patterns of care and overall survival (OS) associated with perioperative radiation therapy use in this population. Methods and Materials Elderly patients (≥70 years) with high-grade STS who underwent surgery with or without perioperative radiation therapy from 2004 to 2013 were identified from the National Cancer Database. A nonelderly cohort ( Results Of 6978 elderly patients, 3549 (51%) underwent surgery alone, and 740 (11%) and 2,679 (38%) received pre- and postoperative radiation therapy, respectively. Elderly patients received radiation therapy less commonly than did nonelderly patients (49% vs 52%, P P P P P Conclusions There is an overall and an age-disparate underuse of perioperative radiation therapy in elderly patients with high-grade STS despite radiation therapy being associated with improved OS. Further research is warranted to minimize gaps in care for elderly patients.