Treatment Results of Soft Tissue Sarcomas in the Head and Neck

Chae, Sung Won; Choi, Geon; Kim, Woo Jeong; Lee, Eun Soo; Shin, Sang Hoon; Park, Jae Hyung; Choi, Jong Ouck

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Soft-tissue sarcomas of the head and neck are extraskeletal malignant tumors derived from cells of mesenchymal origin and are relatively rare, accounting for less than 1 percent of all neoplasms in this region. The purpose of this study is to analyze the clinical features and the treatment outcome of the head and neck soft tissue sarcomas.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 32 patients who were diagnosed and treated for primary soft-tissue sarcomas of the head and neck from 1991 to 1996.
RESULTS
The sarcomas composed 2.3% of the head and neck malignant tumors in our institute. Thirty-two cases consisted of nine rhabdomyosarcomas, six malignant fibrohistiocytoma, six malignant schwannomas, and 12 other soft tissue sarcomas. The age at diagnosis ranged from 10 months to 67 years. The tumors were developed most commonly in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. Surgical excision was performed in 20 patients and surgical excision with postoperative radiotherapy was used in 10 patients. Chemotherapy was done in two cases. The overall recurrence rate of the soft-tissue sarcoma was 49.6%. The recurrence rates according to the treatment modality were 60% (surgery), 20% (surgery+radiotherapy), and 50% (chemotherapy), respectively.
CONCLUSION
The treatment outcome of the soft-tissue sarcoma is poor. Based on these results, multimodality therapy is recommended for the treatment of the head and neck sarcomas.