BACKGROUND: Uterine sarcomas show low incidence and poor outcome despite the treatment. The prognostic factors for the survival were determined in this study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-nine females with sarcoma of the uterus have been studied retrospectively from January 1975 to December 1996. They were treated in the Gynecology and Radiation Oncology Departments at Hospital Clínic i Provincial of Barcelona. Thirty-seven patients had surgery, 22 radiotherapy and 4 chemotherapy. The influence on the disease-specific survival, disease-free survival, local relapse disease-free survival and metastasis disease-free survival from the following pronostic factors was studied: age, pathologic subtype, miometrial invasion, mitosis, vascular and lymphatic invasion, tumor size, stage, radiotherapy and local relapse. RESULTS: 1) The disease-specific survival at 2 and 5 years was 51.5% and 42.5% respectively, and the disease-free survival at 2 and 5 years was 39%; the incidence of local and distant relapses--was 28 and 33%. 2) The multivariate analysis showed that the overall survival and the disease free survival were affected by the vascular invasion (odds ratio [OR] 12 and 32.6, respectively) and the local failure (OR = 3 and 25.5, respectively); the only factor that affected the local relapse-free survival and metastasis free survival was the III and IV stages (OR = 5.6 in both cases). CONCLUSIONS: In uterine sarcomas, the vascular invasion and the local relapse were prognostic factors for overall survival and for disease-free survival. In stages III and IV there was a decrease in the local relapse-free survival and metastasis-free survival. A correlation between vascular invasion and advanced stages was found. The outcome of the uterine sarcomas is poor, local and distant failure being responsible for this bad prognosis.
BACKGROUND: Uterine sarcomas show low incidence and poor outcome despite the treatment. The prognostic factors for the survival were determined in this study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-nine females with sarcoma of the uterus have been studied retrospectively from January 1975 to December 1996. They were treated in the Gynecology and Radiation Oncology Departments at Hospital Clínic i Provincial of Barcelona. Thirty-seven patients had surgery, 22 radiotherapy and 4 chemotherapy. The influence on the disease-specific survival, disease-free survival, local relapse disease-free survival and metastasis disease-free survival from the following pronostic factors was studied: age, pathologic subtype, miometrial invasion, mitosis, vascular and lymphatic invasion, tumor size, stage, radiotherapy and local relapse. RESULTS: 1) The disease-specific survival at 2 and 5 years was 51.5% and 42.5% respectively, and the disease-free survival at 2 and 5 years was 39%; the incidence of local and distant relapses--was 28 and 33%. 2) The multivariate analysis showed that the overall survival and the disease free survival were affected by the vascular invasion (odds ratio [OR] 12 and 32.6, respectively) and the local failure (OR = 3 and 25.5, respectively); the only factor that affected the local relapse-free survival and metastasis free survival was the III and IV stages (OR = 5.6 in both cases). CONCLUSIONS: In uterine sarcomas, the vascular invasion and the local relapse were prognostic factors for overall survival and for disease-free survival. In stages III and IV there was a decrease in the local relapse-free survival and metastasis-free survival. A correlation between vascular invasion and advanced stages was found. The outcome of the uterine sarcomas is poor, local and distant failure being responsible for this bad prognosis.