Is there no influence of local control on the rate of metastases in high-grade soft tissue sarcoma?

Primary host and tumor-related prognostic factors, the occurrence of local recurrence, and the time interval between diagnosis of the primary tumor and metastatic disease were analysed in 39 patients with metastatic Grade 4 soft tissue sarcoma. The pattern of prognostic factors and the timing of metastases were the same in patients with and without local recurrence. Thus, primary prognostic factors alone may determine the risk of metastases in high-grade soft tissue sarcoma; local recurrence per se may not influence the prognosis in these cases.