Prognostic Factors in Extremity Soft Tissue Sarcomas Treated with Radiotherapy: Systematic Review of the Literature

Abstract

Soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities are rare tumors with various prognostic factors. Their management is debatable due to their inconsistent results within the literature and the lack of large prospective studies. The objective of this systematic review is to analyze the available scientific data on prognostic factors concerning the characteristics of the patients, the disease and the treatments performed, as well as their potential complications, on studies with a median follow-up of 5 years at minimum. A search of articles following the "PRISMA method" and using the PubMed search engine was conducted to select the most relevant studies. Twenty-five articles were selected, according to preestablished criteria. This review provides a better understanding of the prognosis and disease outcome of these tumors. Many factors were described comparing the frequency of occurrence according to the studies, which remain heterogeneous between them. Significant factors that could orient patients to radiotherapy were highlighted. These positive prognostic factors provide valuable insight to optimize radiotherapy treatments for patients treated for soft tissue sarcoma of the extremities.

Keywords: complications; prognostic factors; radiotherapy; soft tissue sarcoma of the extremities.

Figure 1

PRISMA flowchart of the literature search and study selection process.

Figure 2

Factors described in the literature (at least one article) in favor of RT. LC = local control, NS = not specifically studied, OS = overall survival.