The width of resection margins influences local recurrence in soft tissue sarcoma patients.

Background: Patients with soft tissue sarcoma (STS) being treated following the standardized guidelines can still not be guaranteed to remain free from local recurrence (LR). A complete tumour resection has been accepted as a major prognostic factor for LR. This retrospective study was designed to analyse the influence of two different classifications of resection margins (R-classification and UICC-classification) on LR in STS patients.

Materials And Methods: Of 411 patients treated at our institution for STS, 265 were eligible for statistical analysis. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression models were used to assess the impact of an R0 resection according to the R-classification (resection margin clear but allowing <1 mm) and according to the UICC-classification (minimal resection margin ≥1 mm) on LR.

Results: Survival curves showed a lower LR rate for R0 resections in the UICC-classification, namely 1.3%, 12% and 12% as compared to 2.1%, 9.5% and 16.5% for the R-classification. In multivariate analysis calculated separately for each classification, R1 resection as defined by the R-classification (HR: 11.214; 95%CI: 2.394-52.517; p = 0.002) as well as by UICC-classification (HR: 15.634; 95%CI: 2.493-98.029; p = 0.003) remained significant.

Conclusion: In our study, margin status according to both classifications represents an independent prognostic factor for LR in patients with STS following curative surgery. Local control rates were superior after a minimal resection margin of 1 mm (R0 by UICC-classification) compared to R0 resections after the R-classification.