Soft tissue tumor imaging in adults: European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology-Guidelines 2023-overview, and primary local imaging: how and where?

OBJECTIVES: Early, accurate diagnosis is crucial for the prognosis of patients with soft tissue sarcomas. To this end, standardization of imaging algorithms, technical requirements, and reporting is therefore a prerequisite. Since the first European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology (ESSR) consensus in 2015, technical achievements, further insights into specific entities, and the revised WHO-classification (2020) and AJCC staging system (2017) made an update necessary. The guidelines are intended to support radiologists in their decision-making and contribute to interdisciplinary tumor board discussions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A validated Delphi method based on peer-reviewed literature was used to derive consensus among a panel of 46 specialized musculoskeletal radiologists from 12 European countries. Statements were scored online by level of agreement (0 to 10) during two iterative rounds. Either "group consensus," "group agreement," or "lack of agreement" was achieved. RESULTS: Eight sections were defined that finally contained 145 statements with comments. Overall, group consensus was reached in 95.9%, and group agreement in 4.1%. This communication contains the first part consisting of the imaging algorithm for suspected soft tissue tumors, methods for local imaging, and the role of tumor centers. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound represents the initial triage imaging modality for accessible and small tumors. MRI is the modality of choice for the characterization and local staging of most soft tissue tumors. CT is indicated in special situations. In suspicious or likely malignant tumors, a specialist tumor center should be contacted for referral or teleradiologic second opinion. This should be done before performing a biopsy, without exception. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The updated ESSR soft tissue tumor imaging guidelines aim to provide best practice expert consensus for standardized imaging, to support radiologists in their decision-making, and to improve examination comparability both in individual patients and in future studies on individualized strategies. KEY POINTS: • Ultrasound remains the best initial triage imaging modality for accessible and small suspected soft tissue tumors. • MRI is the modality of choice for the characterization and local staging of soft tissue tumors in most cases; CT is indicated in special situations. Suspicious or likely malignant tumors should undergo biopsy. • In patients with large, indeterminate or suspicious tumors, a tumor reference center should be contacted for referral or teleradiologic second opinion; this must be done before a biopsy.

Presurgical Perspective and Posttreatment Evaluation of Soft Tissue Tumors of the Ankle and Foot in Adults.

This article discusses soft tissue tumors of the ankle and foot region in adults, including tumors of the joints, and also briefly addresses tumor-simulating lesions. We offer general recommendations and describe specific aspects of common entities in that region, such as typical imaging appearance, therapeutic strategies, and posttherapeutic considerations. Focal masses and diffuse swelling are common in the foot and ankle region; most of them are non-neoplastic. Some of the tumors, such as plantar fibromatosis, tenosynovial giant cell tumor, synovial chondromatosis, or schwannoma, have a very typical appearance on magnetic resonance imaging. Sarcomas are rare among true soft tissue tumors; however, they can be small and well demarcated, may grow slowly, and are often misinterpreted as benign. This is especially true for synovial sarcoma, one of the most common sarcomas in this region. Densely packed tissues in the foot and ankle may hamper determining the tissue of origin. Adherence to diagnostic guidelines and cooperation with tumor centers is crucial including for posttherapeutic surveillance. We also describe typical posttherapeutic changes and complications after surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, as well as parameters for the detection and exclusion of recurrence of soft tissue tumors of the ankle and foot.

Soft Tissue Sarcoma Follow-up Imaging: Strategies to Distinguish Post-treatment Changes from Recurrence.

Soft tissue sarcomas encompass multiple entities with differing recurrence rates and follow-up intervals. The detection of recurrences and their differentiation from post-therapeutic changes is therefore complex, with a central role for the clinical radiologist. This article describes approved recommendations. Prerequisite is a precise knowledge of the current clinical management and surgical techniques. We review recurrence rates and treatment modalities. An adequate imaging technique is paramount, and comparison with previous imaging is highly recommended. We describe time-dependent therapy-related complications on magnetic resonance imaging compared with the spectrum of regular post-therapeutic changes. Early complications such as seromas, hematomas, and infections, late complications such as edema and fibrosis, and inflammatory pseudotumors are elucidated. The appearance of recurrences and radiation-associated sarcomas is contrasted with these changes. This systematic approach in follow-up imaging of soft tissue sarcoma patients will facilitate the differentiation of post-therapeutic changes from recurrences.

Is Total Femur Replacement a Reliable Treatment Option for Patients With Metastatic Carcinoma of the Femur?

BACKGROUND: The majority of metastatic bone lesions to the femoral bone can be treated without surgery or with minimally invasive intramedullary nailing. In rare patients with extensive metastatic disease to the femur, total femur replacement may be the only surgical alternative to amputation; however, little is known about this approach. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: In a highly selected small group of patients with metastatic carcinoma of the femur, we asked: (1) What was the patient survivorship after this treatment? (2) What was the implant survivorship free from all-cause revision and amputation, and what complications were associated with this treatment? (3) What functional outcomes were achieved by patients after total femur replacement for this indication? METHODS: Eleven patients (three men, eight women) with a mean age of 64 years (range, 41-78 years) received total femur replacements between 1986 and 2016; none were lost to followup. The most common primary disease was breast cancer. In general, during this period, our indications for this procedure were extensive metastatic disease precluding internal fixation or isolated proximal or distal femur replacement, and an anticipated lifespan exceeding 6 months. Our contraindication for this procedure during this time was expected lifespan less than 6 months. Patient survival was assessed by Kaplan-Meier analysis; implant survival free from revision surgery and amputation were assessed by competing risk analysis. Function was determined preoperatively and 6 to 12 weeks postoperatively with the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) score normalized to a 100-point scale, with higher scores representing better function from a longitudinally maintained institutional database. RESULTS: Eleven patients died at a median of 5 months (range, 1-31 months) after surgery. One-year revision-free and limb survival were 82% (95% CI, 51%-98%) and 91% (95% CI, 61%-99%), respectively. Reasons for reoperation were hip dislocation, infection and local recurrence in one patient each. The latter two complications resulted in amputation in two patients. The median MSTS score was 32 (range, 13-57). CONCLUSIONS: Despite attempts to select patients who might have anticipated greater life expectancy, eight of 11 patients died by 6 months after surgery, and an additional two patients had undergone an amputation at 8 and at 17 months postoperatively. Most patients undergoing total femur replacement in this series did not recover from the procedure by the time they died, despite our best attempts to perform the procedure in patients whom we thought would live at least 6 months. Based on this, we believe that most patients with extensive metastatic disease to the femur should be offered palliative care, rather than major reconstruction. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic study.

Computer navigation-assisted surgery for musculoskeletal tumors: a closer look into the learning curve.

BACKGROUND: Computer navigation-assisted surgery for musculoskeletal tumors has shown to reduce the risk of intra-lesional margins in resection. Experiences with this method are still limited to smaller case series. METHOD: We reviewed our first experiences in 24 patients in whom computer navigation-assisted surgery had been performed. In 7 of these patients (6 male and 1 female), this has influenced the surgical treatment plan and navigation was used for both tumor resection and reconstruction. Three of the patients suffered from a chondrosarcoma, 2 from an osteosarcoma, 1 from a fibrosarcoma and 1 from an Ewing's sarcoma. Tumors were localized in the femur (n = 2), the tibia (n = 1), the sacrum (n = 1), the humerus (n = 1), the ilium (n = 1) and in the gluteal region (n = 1). RESULTS: The mean registration error was 0.9 mm. No intra-operative complications occurred. Two postoperative complications were observed which required revision surgery. Except for one marginal resection, all tumors were excised with wide margins. One patient suffered from a local recurrence, and one patient died of disease after distant metastatic dissemination. CONCLUSION: Computer navigation-assisted surgery represents a safe and helpful tool for the resection of musculoskeletal tumors and may influence surgical treatment plans in selected cases to provide more limited resections. Surgeons should be aware of risks considering biomechanical and oncological consequences in doing so. Further investigations and the evaluation of newer techniques (e.g., computed tomography-guided navigation) are needed to assess long-term outcomes of computer navigation assistance in musculoskeletal tumor surgery.

C-reactive protein as a prognostic factor in patients with chordoma of lumbar spine and sacrum--a single center pilot study.

STUDY DESIGN: This is a retrospective, diagnostic study, level IV. BACKGROUND: It appears to be necessary to identify prognostic markers for individual risk estimation for progression and survival in patients with chordoma, a rare disease. Are pre-operative serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) associated with disease progression and survival? METHODS: Survival rates of 24 patients (18 males, 6 females) (mean age 67 years (SD ± 16; range 20-85 years); minimum follow-up 2 years, mean follow-up 5 years (SD ± 5; range 2-19 years)) with chordoma of the lower spine and sacrum were assessed with a focus on pre-operative CRP levels. RESULTS: The survival rate of patients with pre-operative CRP level of >1.0 mg/dl was lower than that of patients with a CRP level <1.0 mg/dl (p = 0.01). The estimated 10-year survival of patients with pre-operative CRP values <1.0 and >1.0 mg/dl was 76 and 25%, respectively. CRP remained as an independent survival factor (p = 0.025; CI 95% 1.0-2.6) in multivariable analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Pre-operative CRP levels appear to be a biomarker for disease-specific survival in patients with chordoma of the lumbar spine and sacrum. A validation of our finding with larger cohorts and integration of putative risk factor would further elucidate CRP a surrogate for tumor progression.

Peripheral nerve tractography in soft tissue tumors: a preliminary 3-tesla diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging study.

INTRODUCTION: This diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DTI) study aimed to clarify the relationship of peripheral nerves and soft tissue tumors (STTs) in 3D to optimize subsequent treatment. METHODS: Twenty-six consecutive STT patients (histologically malignant, n=10; intermediate, n=3; and benign, n=13) underwent 3-Tesla MRI using an echoplanar DTI sequence. Deterministic tractography was performed. Fractional anisotropy (FA) values were measured within peritumoral and distant regions of interest. RESULTS: Tractography depicted the 3D course of the sciatic (n=12), femoral (n=2), tibial (n=7), fibular (n=2), median (n=1), musculocutaneous (n=1), and ulnar (n=1) nerves in a regular (n=8 of 18, 44.4%) or thinned (n=7 of 18, 38.9%) fashion. The lowest peritumoral FA values, abrupt thinning, and/or complete discontinuity of trajectories were found in 2 cases with histologically proven tumoral nerve infiltration. CONCLUSIONS: DTI clarifies the 3D topography between major peripheral nerves and STTs and may be helpful in the assessment of peripheral nerve infiltration by malignant tumors.

Use of diagnostic dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI for targeting of soft tissue tumour biopsies at 3T: preliminary results.

OBJECTIVES: To test the feasibility and accuracy of MR-guided soft tissue tumour biopsy at 3T, using the dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) information from staging MRI for intralesional targeting. METHODS: After obtaining written informed consent for this institutional review board-approved study, 53 patients with suspected soft tissue tumours prospectively underwent preoperative staging MRI at 3T, including DCE, and subsequent MR-guided core needle biopsy. In 44/53 cases, DCE was heterogeneous and was used for intralesional biopsy targeting. Surgical, whole-specimen histology was used as the gold standard in 43/44 patients and revealed 42 soft tissue tumours (24 men; 18 women; mean age, 52 years; range, 19 - 84). RESULTS: Final surgical histology revealed eight benign lesions, six tumours of intermediate dignity, and 28 malignancies. All malignancies had shown heterogeneous DCE. The diagnostic yield of the biopsies was 100% (42/42). Histological accuracy rates of biopsy were 100% in predicting the dignity (42/42; 95% CI [0.916 - 1.000]), 95.2% for the tissue-specific entity (40/42; 95% CI [0.847 - 0.987]), and 90.5% for the tumour grade (38/42; 95% CI [0.779 - 0.962]). CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary study indicates that biopsy of soft tissue tumours can be performed accurately and safely with DCE targeted MR-guidance at 3T, using a combined staging/biopsy MRI protocol. KEY POINTS: • MR-guided soft tissue tumour biopsy using DCE for intralesional targeting is feasible. • Targeting by staging-MRI allows reliable planning of the biopsy approach. • The method seems accurate and safe as a combined staging/biopsy procedure in outpatients. • DCE-targeted biopsy seems useful in challenging large and heterogeneous tumours.

Initially localized synovial sarcoma in adults: a retrospective single-center analysis of 26 patients registered at the Department of Oncology, University of Vienna between 2004 and 2013.

BACKGROUND: Synovial sarcoma is a rare subgroup of all soft-tissue sarcomas. The aim of this retrospective single-center analysis was to investigate the outcome of patients with initially localized disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-six patients were enrolled in this retrospective single-center analysis. Baseline characteristics, treatment and outcome were evaluated. RESULTS: In 13 patients (50%), the tumor was located in the lower extremity and in 4 patients (15%) in the upper extremity. Surgical resection was done in all but 2 patients (92%). Re-resection was done in 7 patients (27%). Fourteen patients (54%) received adjuvant chemotherapy. After a median follow-up of 23.3 months (range: 2.6-150.3), median disease-free survival was not reached at the time of analysis. Eight patients (31%) relapsed after initial therapy. Surgery was done in 2 patients, amputation in 1 patient, palliative chemotherapy was administered in 3 and radiation therapy in 2 patients. Median overall survival (OS) for all patients was not reached at the time of analysis. The estimated 5-year OS rate was 62%. CONCLUSION: Patients with initially localized synovial sarcoma who were included in this retrospective single-center analysis have an estimated 5-year OS rate of 62%.

Outcome of total knee arthroplasty in hemophilic arthropathy.

The clinical histories of 45 consecutively performed TKAs in 32 patients with hereditary bleeding disorders were reviewed retrospectively. The mean follow up was 88.7 (range, 24-232) months. The cumulative probability of infection free-survival was 87.8% after 180 months. When removal of component was defined as endpoint, the survival probability was 86.4% after 180 months. In regression analysis no significant independent risk factors for infection or aseptic loosening were identified. The HSS score improved significantly from 45 to 85 points. Hemophilic patients can be considered to be at high risk for prosthetic failure, our study has demonstrated favorable functional results of total knee arthroplasty in hemophilic patients.

Primary malignant tumours of the scapula--a review of 29 cases.

PURPOSE: Primary malignant bone tumours of the scapula are very rare. Apart from limited small series and some case reports, international literature on flat bone sarcoma is exiguous and not much is known about the oncological outcome. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 29 patients diagnosed with a primary malignant tumour of the scapula was performed. The mean age was 40 years. The average time of follow-up was 60 months. Diagnoses included chondrosarcoma in 11 patients, Ewing's sarcoma/PNET in six, osteosarcoma in three, and others in nine. RESULTS: Five patients (19%) had no surgery. Wide resection was performed in 18 patients (74%) and marginal and intralesional resection in three patients (13%) each. Fifteen patients underwent resection without bony reconstruction, seven patients underwent a Tikhoff-Linberg procedure, and two patients received a custom-made scapula prosthesis. Six patients were diagnosed with metastasis after a mean time of nine months after surgery, while three patients suffered local recurrence at an average of six months after surgery. Disease-specific survival was 70% at one year and 47% at five years. The mean MSTS score was 69% and was highest for patients with scapular prosthesis. CONCLUSION: The overall prognosis of primary malignant bone tumours of the scapula remains to be inferior compared to extremity sarcoma. Endoprosthetic reconstruction, however, shows promising functional results even in cases of total scapulectomy.

Comparison of metal on metal versus polyethylene-ceramic bearing in uncemented total hip arthroplasty in patients with haemophilic arthropathy.

PURPOSE: We report the results of a consecutive series of 12 cases with haemophilic hip arthropathy treated with uncemented total hip arthroplasty (THA). Our hypothesis was that THA results in the haemophilic group would be inferior to those in the nonhaemophilic group. METHODS: The clinical histories of 12 consecutive THAs in eight patients (all men) with hereditary bleeding disorders (haemophilia A and B and von Willebrand disease) were reviewed retrospectively. The results were compared with an age- and sex-matched control group without haemophilia, with special emphasis on bearing surfaces (Metasul metal-on-metal; polyethylene-ceramic articulation). RESULTS: The mean follow-up of the control group was 9.7 (range five to 24) years and was similar to the haemophilia group, with 10.4. Survival in the Metasul haemophilic group was 22.2 % after 18 years, which significantly differed from the Metasul control group (100 % after 24 years). Survival of the polyethylene-ceramic haemophilic group was similar to the control group (100 % after seven years in both groups). CONCLUSIONS: The metal-on-metal bearing surface in patients with haemophilia gave inferior results compared with nonhaemophilic patients. The use of metal-on-metal bearings in haemophilia is debatable.

The Weil osteotomy for correction of the severe rheumatoid forefoot.

PURPOSE: In rheumatoid arthritis the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joints are predominantly affected with resultant metatarsalgia and dislocation. Therapy options include many different surgical procedures with results that are not always satisfying. We present the oblique Weil metatarsal osteotomy as a treatment option for the rheumatic forefoot. METHODS: A total of 216 osteotomies in 63 consecutive patients (72 feet) with a mean age at the time of surgery of 59.3 years and long-standing rheumatoid arthritis were observed prospectively for an average of 57.4 months (minimum 36 months). All patients received a Weil osteotomy of the lesser metatarsals with at least one additional procedure of the forefoot. Patients were evaluated prospectively for clinical outcome by the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) lesser MTP-interphalangeal scale and subjective satisfaction. In the radiological evaluation weight-bearing X-rays were analysed for alignment, shortening and union. RESULTS: American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society score increased significantly from 21.9 ± 6.7 to 63.3 ± 9.8 (p < 0.05). The increase was significant for all subgroups regarding pain, function and alignment. All joints were dorsally dislocated preoperatively; a subluxation was present in 13.6 % at follow-up. There was a significant decrease of callositas in 82 %, a decrease in need for orthopaedic shoes in 61 %, a decrease of MTP joint stiffness in 96 % and a relief of severe pain in 97 % of all patients. No metatarsal head dislocation or necrosis, pseudoarthrosis or screw perforation was observed. Of 63 patients, 55 (88 %) subjectively reported excellent or good results. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the Weil procedure for lesser metatarsals is a satisfactory method for correcting the rheumatic forefoot and can be recommended as an approach for the future.

Surgical treatment of the haemophilic pseudotumour: a single centre experience.

PURPOSE: Haemophilic pseudotumour was defined by Fernandez de Valderrama and Matthews as a progressive cystic swelling involving muscle, produced by recurrent haemorrhage into muscles adjacent to the bone. The pseudotumour mainly occurs in the long bones and the pelvis. The treatment of the haemophilic pseudotumour poses a challenge, and extensive clinical experience is essential to appropriately address this serious complication in patients with haemophilia. Consequently, the aim of this study is to present our own clinical experience and treatment results of the haemophilic pseudotumour. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 87 patients with bleeding disorders treated between 1967 and 2011 for musculoskeletal complications of congenital bleeding disorders. We identified six patients with a haemophilic pseudotumour who were treated at our department. RESULTS: The mean age at surgery was 45.9 (range, 40-61) years. The iliac bone was affected in three patients (one right, two left), the right tibia (distal diaphysis) in one, the right thigh in two and the right ulna (proximal part) in one patient. One patient had two pseudotumours. The perioperative course was easily controllable with adequate factor VIII substitution. At the latest follow-up after 8.4 (range, 4-24) years, normal healing with no recurrence was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The haemophilic pseudotumour is a rare but severe complication of hereditary bleeding disorders. In the international literature the resection and postoperative course are described as challenging and difficult, requiring detailed preoperative planning. It is advisable to perform such operations in specialised centres with close co-operation between surgeons and haematologists.

Low-grade chondrosarcoma of bone: experiences from the Vienna Bone and Soft Tissue Tumour Registry.

In a retrospective single-centre study, 70 low-grade chondrosarcoma (LCS) (31 female/39 male patients with a mean age of 40 years) were reviewed to evaluate surgical management. The mean overall follow-up was 81 months (median: 73 months, range: 6-317 months). Seventeen lesions (24.3%) in the trunk and 53 (75.7%) in the extremities were treated by curettage (48.6%) or resection (51.5%). Local recurrence occurred in eight patients (11.4%) 18 months postoperatively (median: 18 months, range: 0-41 months). Recurrence-free survival was significantly better for patients with extremity lesions compared to truncal lesions, but was not affected by resection margin. The anatomical site "trunk" and an "intralesional" resection margin had a significant independent prognostic influence in multivariate analysis. Curettage with local adjuvants is a viable treatment option for most extremity LCS. In truncal LCS wide resection is recommended despite a potentially higher complication rate.

Diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy versus incisional biopsy in soft tissue sarcoma: an institutional experience.

Core needle biopsy (CNB) is gaining in importance due to its advantages in the matter of patient morbidity, time and cost. Nevertheless, controversies still exist regarding the biopsy technique of choice for the accurate diagnosis of soft tissue sarcoma (STS). This retrospective cohort study compared the diagnostic performance between ultrasound-guided CNB and incisional biopsy (IB), both performed by orthopedic surgeons. The aims of the study were to answer the following questions: (1) Is ultrasound-guided CNB a highly reliable modality for diagnosing STSs? (2) Is CNB equally useful to IB for identifying histologic subtype? (3) Had patients who underwent CNB a reduced risk of complications? One-hundred and fifty-three patients who underwent resection of soft tissue sarcoma were classified into two groups according to biopsy technique prior to surgery; CNB group (n = 95) and IB group (n = 58). The final surgical specimens were in 40 patients liposarcoma (myxoid, pleomorphic and dedifferentiated), 39 undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS), 33 myxofibrosarcoma, 10 synovial sarcoma, 10 leiomyosarcoma and in the remaining 21 patients different soft tissue sarcoma entities. Sarcoma location of 71 patients was in the thigh, 19 in the lower leg, 22 in the upper arm and shoulder area; 10 in the knee and gluteal region, 9 in the thoracic region, the residual 12 in other body areas. Malignancy was correctly diagnosed in 87% (83 of 95) for the CNB group and 93% (54/58) for the IB group. Correct identification rate of histologic subtype was 80% (76 of 95) in the CNB group and 83% (48 of 58) in the IB group. There were no significant differences in the correct diagnosis rates of malignancy and subtype between the two techniques. No complications were seen in the CNB group, whereas 2 patients in whom IB was performed developed pulmonary embolism and 1 patient surgical site infection. Ultrasound-guided CNB is highly accurate and not inferior to IB in diagnosing the dignity of lesions and histologic subtype in patients with suspected STSs.

The impact of re-excision of inadequately resected soft tissue sarcomas on surgical therapy, results, and prognosis: A single institution experience with 682 patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Due to their rare incidence soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are often resected without clear margins. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of re-excision of STS on survival. METHODS: Out of 752 patients with STS (406 men and 346 women, average age 51 years), 310 patients were referred after an inadequate resection, 442 patients presented for primary treatment. Six hundred eighty-two patients were compared over a mean period of 65 months (median, 36 months) according to the treatment groups regarding their survival, clinical, surgical, and pathological data. RESULTS: The 5-year survival rate of 621 surgically treated patients was 53.9%. There was a continuous improvement in survival during the whole treatment period in the respective decades. The overall survival rate in both groups was not significantly different regardless of low- or high-grade malignancies. Patients with a re-resection did not have a higher rate of local recurrences; patients with a primary resection had a worse prognosis regarding metastases. A re-resection within 12 weeks indicated a better prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: An inadequate excision of a STS does not cogently mean deterioration of overall survival but necessitates an ample and quick re-resection.

Sports activity after soft tissue sarcoma of the lower extremity.

Introduction: The aim of this case series was to assess sports activity levels in long-term survivors of soft-tissue sarcomas after multimodal treatment including limb salvaging surgical resection and radio-chemotherapy.Methods: Thirty-two patients (17 f/15 m) with a mean age of 29 (range 10-44) years at the time of diagnosis and a mean follow-up time of 9 (range 3-21) years following sarcoma were included. Ten patients had been diagnosed with liposarcoma, seven with synovial sarcoma, four with fibrosarcoma, three with undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomas and the remaining eight patients with different soft-tissue sarcoma entities. Sarcoma location of twenty-four (75%) patients was in the thigh, eight (25%) in the lower leg. Eleven (34%) tumors were located epifascial, 21 (66%) in deeper tissue layers. Sports activity was measured by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Activity Score.Results: One year before treatment 30 patients (94%) and >3 years post-treatment 29 patients (91%)had been pursuing athletic activity regularly. They were performing 5.5 h/week prior and 4.2 h/week >3 years post surgery. The mean UCLA score in case of subfascial sarcomas was 8.0 and thereby lower (p < 0.05) than those of epifascial sarcomas, which were 9.3. Furthermore, the mean UCLA score after subfascial sarcoma resection 3 years postoperative was still below preoperative UCLA levels (p < 0.05), whereas patients after epifascial tumor resection showed no loss of sports activity. No relation between complications and postoperative sports activity level was found.Conclusions: Healthy long-term survivors can achieve high levels of sports activity following limb salvage after soft-tissue sarcomas. The concerned muscle groups may influence the functional and sports outcome and draw attention to this topic in future rehabilitation. This knowledge may be of high value for patients counseling, physicians and orthopedists treating patients, as well as for patients inquiring information regarding post-treatment activity levels.Implication for rehabilitationSport is possible after soft tissue sarcoma treatment and longer-term rehabilitation which is usually three yearsRehabilitation is best undertaken in specialized centersIt is important to maintain contact with surgeons in order to optimize mobilizationHigh impact sports may be affected by deep muscle resections.

Individualizing Follow-Up Strategies in High-Grade Soft Tissue Sarcoma with Flexible Parametric Competing Risk Regression Models.

Currently, patients with extremity soft tissue sarcoma (eSTS) who have undergone curative resection are followed up by a heuristic approach, not covering individual patient risks. The aim of this study was to develop two flexible parametric competing risk regression models (FPCRRMs) for local recurrence (LR) and distant metastasis (DM), aiming at providing guidance on how to individually follow-up patients. Three thousand sixteen patients (1931 test, 1085 validation cohort) with high-grade eSTS were included in this retrospective, multicenter study. Histology (9 categories), grading (time-varying covariate), gender, age, tumor size, margins, (neo)adjuvant radiotherapy (RTX), and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (CTX) were used in the FPCRRMs and performance tested with Harrell-C-index. Median follow-up was 50 months (interquartile range: 23.3-95 months). Two hundred forty-two (12.5%) and 603 (31.2%) of test cohort patients developed LR and DM. Factors significantly associated with LR were gender, size, histology, neo- and adjuvant RTX, and margins. Parameters associated with DM were margins, grading, gender, size, histology, and neoadjuvant RTX. C-statistics was computed for internal (C-index for LR: 0.705, for DM: 0.723) and external cohort (C-index for LR: 0.683, for DM: 0.772). Depending on clinical, pathological, and patient-related parameters, LR- and DM-risks vary. With the present model, implemented in the updated Personalised Sarcoma Care (PERSARC)-app, more individualized prediction of LR/DM-risks is made possible.