Surgical management of soft tissue sarcoma in patients over 80 years

To report outcome on patients over 80 years of age with soft tissue sarcoma (STS), with respect to surgical treatment, co-morbidity, complications and survival. From a prospective database of 3400 patients with STS presenting over a 13-year period, all patients over 80 years of age were identified and reviewed, with respect to tumour characteristics morbidity, mortality and outcome. 128 patients over 80 years were treated for STS with 63 referred for treatment of primary disease, of whom 50 underwent resectional surgery. The remaining 65 patients were treated for recurrent or incompletely excised disease. Of the 50 patients treated primarily with surgery, 56% of tumours where high grade and 56% were greater than 10 cm in diameter. The overall complication rate was 34%, with a 30-day mortality of 4%. Two- and 5-year survival rates were 56% and 46%, with a local recurrence rate of 22% at a mean follow-up of 22 months. This patient group presented with poor prognosis tumours that were associated with poor outcomes in the medium to long term. Age need not be considered a contra-indication to radical surgery with curative intent.