Liposarcomas: prognosis and management.

Fifty-one evaluable patients with liposarcomas were reviewed. Two-thirds of the patients were referred after local recurrence. One-third with primary surgery at RPMI had local recurrence rate of 31.6%. Overall, one or more local recurrences presented in 78% of patients. Pulmonary metastases, occurred in 45%, while liver metastases in 13.6%. Most common primary sites were the lower extremity, followed by the retroperitoneal area and upper extremity. Median survival is better for upper and lower extremities than other areas (P less than 0.01). The medium survival was longer in the group that received radiation after resection although the difference was not statistically significant. The high rate of local recurrences suggests the adjuvant use of radiation postoperatively when the surgical margins have not been adequate. Sixteen patients are alive and disease-free, with 10 of them having had five years or longer follow-up.