Abstract
Synovial sarcoma is a rare type of sarcoma with poor prognosis. Data on relevant prognostic factors are inconsistent. The objective of this study was to determine the independent prognostic factors that govern local recurrence, distant metastasis and overall survival. A retrospective analysis of 51 patients treated for localized synovial sarcoma at a single institution by a multidisciplinary/multimodality approach over a period of 12 years. Patients, tumor and treatment characteristics were collected including age, sex, tumor site, location, depth, size, status of margins, histology subtype and involvement of bone or lymph nodes. Type of surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy were also examined. The endpoints analyzed were local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), metastasis-free survival (MFS) and overall survival (OS). Median age of patients was 26 years (range 3–64 years) with 73 % above the age of 20 year. All patients received surgery, 57 % received adjuvant radiotherapy and 45 % adjuvant chemotherapy. The median survival was 111 months, and 5-year OS was 73 %. Deep seatedness of the tumor was linked to OS as the only independent risk factor. Twelve patients had local recurrence, and the 5-year LRFS was 61 %. Multivariate analysis determined negative margins and adjuvant radiotherapy as independent predicting factors for LRFS. Five-year MFS was 48 %; multivariate analysis identified monophasic subtype and site other than lower extremity as the only independent factors associated with inferior MFS. The most important factors that govern LRFS and MFS are negative margins and adjuvant radiotherapy for LRFS and tumor histology and site for MFS, while deep seatedness of the tumor is the sole independent factor that governs OS.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brennan MF SS, Maki RG, et al. Sarcomas of the soft tissues and bone. DeVita VT, Hellmann S, Rosenberg SA, editors. Cancer: principles and practice of oncology. 2005;35:1584.
Levi F, La Vecchia C, Randimbison L, Te VC. Descriptive epidemiology of soft tissue sarcomas in Vaud, Switzerland. Eur J Cancer. 1999;35(12):1711–6.
Ross JA, Severson RK, Davis S, Brooks JJ. Trends in the incidence of soft tissue sarcomas in the United States from 1973 through 1987. Cancer. 1993;72(2):486–90.
Rydholm A, Berg NO, Gullberg B, Thorngren KG, Persson BM. Epidemiology of soft-tissue sarcoma in the locomotor system. A retrospective population-based study of the inter-relationships between clinical and morphologic variables. Acta Pathol Microbiol Immunol Scand A Pathol. 1984;92(5):363–74.
Toro JR, Travis LB, Wu HJ, Zhu K, Fletcher CD, Devesa SS. Incidence patterns of soft tissue sarcomas, regardless of primary site, in the surveillance, epidemiology and end results program, 1978–2001: an analysis of 26,758 cases. Int J Cancer. 2006;119(12):2922–30. doi:10.1002/ijc.22239.
Ladanyi M, Antonescu CR, Leung DH, Woodruff JM, Kawai A, Healey JH, et al. Impact of SYT–SSX fusion type on the clinical behavior of synovial sarcoma: a multi-institutional retrospective study of 243 patients. Cancer Res. 2002;62(1):135–40.
Kawai A, Woodruff J, Healey JH, Brennan MF, Antonescu CR, Ladanyi M. SYT–SSX gene fusion as a determinant of morphology and prognosis in synovial sarcoma. N Engl J Med. 1998;338(3):153–60. doi:10.1056/NEJM199801153380303.
Lu YJ, Birdsall S, Summersgill B, Smedley D, Osin P, Fisher C, et al. Dual colour fluorescence in situ hybridization to paraffin-embedded samples to deduce the presence of the der(X)t(X;18)(p11.2;q11.2) and involvement of either the SSX1 or SSX2 gene: a diagnostic and prognostic aid for synovial sarcoma. J Pathol. 1999;187(4):490–6. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1096-9896(199903)187:4<490:AID-PATH274>3.0.CO;2-X.
Rubin BP, Fletcher CD, Inwards C, Montag AG, Peabody T, Qualman SJ, et al. Protocol for the examination of specimens from patients with soft tissue tumors of intermediate malignant potential, malignant soft tissue tumors, and benign/locally aggressive and malignant bone tumors. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2006;130(11):1616–29. doi:10.1043/1543-2165(2006)130[1616:PFTEOS]2.0.CO;2.
Guillou L, Coindre JM, Bonichon F, Nguyen BB, Terrier P, Collin F, et al. Comparative study of the National Cancer Institute and French Federation of Cancer Centers Sarcoma Group grading systems in a population of 410 adult patients with soft tissue sarcoma. J Clin Oncol. 1997;15(1):350–62.
Wright PH, Sim FH, Soule EH, Taylor WF. Synovial sarcoma. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1982;64(1):112–22.
Pack GT, Ariel IM. Synovial sarcoma (malignant synovioma); a report of 60 cases. Surgery. 1950;28(6):1047–84.
el-Naggar AK, Ayala AG, Abdul-Karim FW, McLemore D, Ballance WW, Garnsey L, et al. Synovial sarcoma. A DNA flow cytometric study. Cancer. 1990;65(10):2295–300.
Oda Y, Hashimoto H, Tsuneyoshi M, Takeshita S. Survival in synovial sarcoma. A multivariate study of prognostic factors with special emphasis on the comparison between early death and long-term survival. Am J Surg Pathol. 1993;17(1):35–44.
Ferrari A, Gronchi A, Casanova M, Meazza C, Gandola L, Collini P, et al. Synovial sarcoma: a retrospective analysis of 271 patients of all ages treated at a single institution. Cancer. 2004;101(3):627–34. doi:10.1002/cncr.20386.
Bergh P, Meis-Kindblom JM, Gherlinzoni F, Berlin O, Bacchini P, Bertoni F, et al. Synovial sarcoma: identification of low and high risk groups. Cancer. 1999;85(12):2596–607.
Lewis JJ, Antonescu CR, Leung DH, Blumberg D, Healey JH, Woodruff JM, et al. Synovial sarcoma: a multivariate analysis of prognostic factors in 112 patients with primary localized tumors of the extremity. J Clin Oncol. 2000;18(10):2087–94.
Spillane AJ, A’Hern R, Judson IR, Fisher C, Thomas JM. Synovial sarcoma: a clinicopathologic, staging, and prognostic assessment. J Clin Oncol. 2000;18(22):3794–803.
Cagle LA, Mirra JM, Storm FK, Roe DJ, Eilber FR. Histologic features relating to prognosis in synovial sarcoma. Cancer. 1987;59(10):1810–4.
Trassard M, Le Doussal V, Hacene K, Terrier P, Ranchere D, Guillou L, et al. Prognostic factors in localized primary synovial sarcoma: a multicenter study of 128 adult patients. J Clin Oncol. 2001;19(2):525–34.
Hajdu SI, Shiu MH, Fortner JG. Tendosynovial sarcoma: a clinicopathological study of 136 cases. Cancer. 1977;39(3):1201–17.
Fisher C. Synovial sarcoma. Ann Diagn Pathol. 1998;2(6):401–21.
Schmidt D, Thum P, Harms D, Treuner J. Synovial sarcoma in children and adolescents. A report from the Kiel Pediatric Tumor Registry. Cancer. 1991;67(6):1667–72.
Fong Y, Coit DG, Woodruff JM, Brennan MF. Lymph node metastasis from soft tissue sarcoma in adults. Analysis of data from a prospective database of 1772 sarcoma patients. Ann Surg. 1993;217(1):72–7.
Cadman NL, Soule EH, Kelly PJ. Synovial sarcoma; an analysis of 34 tumors. Cancer. 1965;18:613–27.
Oda Y, Hashimoto H, Takeshita S, Tsuneyoshi M. The prognostic value of immunohistochemical staining for proliferating cell nuclear antigen in synovial sarcoma. Cancer. 1993;72(2):478–85.
Roth JA, Enzinger FM, Tannenbaum M. Synovial sarcoma of the neck: a followup study of 24 cases. Cancer. 1975;35(4):1243–53.
Singer S, Baldini EH, Demetri GD, Fletcher JA, Corson JM. Synovial sarcoma: prognostic significance of tumor size, margin of resection, and mitotic activity for survival. J Clin Oncol. 1996;14(4):1201–8.
Pisters PW, Leung DH, Woodruff J, Shi W, Brennan MF. Analysis of prognostic factors in 1,041 patients with localized soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities. J Clin Oncol. 1996;14(5):1679–89.
Mandard AM, Petiot JF, Marnay J, Mandard JC, Chasle J, de Ranieri E, et al. Prognostic factors in soft tissue sarcomas. A multivariate analysis of 109 cases. Cancer. 1989;63(7):1437–51.
Pisters PW, O’Sullivan B, Maki RG. Evidence-based recommendations for local therapy for soft tissue sarcomas. J Clin Oncol. 2007;25(8):1003–8. doi:10.1200/JCO.2006.09.8525.
Edmonson JH, Ryan LM, Blum RH, Brooks JS, Shiraki M, Frytak S, et al. Randomized comparison of doxorubicin alone versus ifosfamide plus doxorubicin or mitomycin, doxorubicin, and cisplatin against advanced soft tissue sarcomas. J Clin Oncol. 1993;11(7):1269–75.
Bramwell V, Rouesse J, Steward W, Santoro A, Schraffordt-Koops H, Buesa J, et al. Adjuvant CYVADIC chemotherapy for adult soft tissue sarcoma–reduced local recurrence but no improvement in survival: a study of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma Group. J Clin Oncol. 1994;12(6):1137–49.
Antman K, Crowley J, Balcerzak SP, Rivkin SE, Weiss GR, Elias A, et al. An intergroup phase III randomized study of doxorubicin and dacarbazine with or without ifosfamide and mesna in advanced soft tissue and bone sarcomas. J Clin Oncol. 1993;11(7):1276–85.
Frustaci S, Gherlinzoni F, De Paoli A, Bonetti M, Azzarelli A, Comandone A, et al. Adjuvant chemotherapy for adult soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities and girdles: results of the Italian randomized cooperative trial. J Clin Oncol. 2001;19(5):1238–47.
Gronchi A, Frustaci S, Mercuri M, Martin J, Lopez-Pousa A, Verderio P, et al. Short, full-dose adjuvant chemotherapy in high-risk adult soft tissue sarcomas: a randomized clinical trial from the Italian Sarcoma Group and the Spanish Sarcoma Group. J Clin Oncol. 2012;30(8):850–6. doi:10.1200/JCO.2011.37.7218.
Adjuvant chemotherapy for localised resectable soft tissue sarcoma in adults. Sarcoma Meta-analysis Collaboration (SMAC). The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2000(2):CD001419. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001419.
Bramwell VH. Adjuvant chemotherapy for adult soft tissue sarcoma: is there a standard of care? J Clin Oncol. 2001;19(5):1235–7.
Conflict of interest
None.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yaser, S., Salah, S., Al-Shatti, M. et al. Prognostic factors that govern localized synovial sarcoma: a single institution retrospective study on 51 patients. Med Oncol 31, 958 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-014-0958-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-014-0958-8