Complete Soft Tissue Sarcoma Resection is a Viable Treatment Option for Select Elderly Patients

Background Decreased performance status, comorbidities, and disease natural history may erode enthusiasm for soft tissue sarcoma (STS) resection in elderly patients. Consequently, we evaluated the outcome of elderly patients amenable to complete surgical resection treated at a single institution. Methods Prospectively accrued data were used to identify patients with primary STS age ≥65 years ( n = 325) who underwent complete macroscopic resection at our institution (1996–2007). Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to identify prognostic factors. Results Median age at presentation was 72 years; 179 patients (55.1%) had associated comorbidities with an ASA score of ≥3. Extremity was the most common site (57.1%; n = 186), undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma the most common histology (60.4%; n = 197); 232 (71.2%) were high grade, 222 (68.3%) were >5 cm. Thirty-day postoperative mortality was 0.9% ( n = 3); overall complication rate was 30.7% ( n = 100), and mean postoperative hospital stay was 9 days (range, 1–84). Estimated median survival was 96 months, 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) was 63%. Multivariable analysis identified age ≥75 year (HR = 2.03), tumor size: 5–15 vs 15 vs