RESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: To analyse the lung metastasis and possible factors influencing lung metastasis in alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) patients. METHODS: The medical records of 64 consecutive ASPS patients were reviewed to analyse their treatments, features of lung metastasis, and possible factors influencing lung metastasis. RESULTS: Thirty-six females and 28 males with a median age of 27 years were included. The primary disease sites were the extremities in 51 patients and other locations in 13 patients. The median primary tumour size was 5 cm. Wide local excision of the primary tumour was performed on 56 patients (87.5 %). Thirteen patients (20.3 %) received postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy, and nine patients (14.1 %) underwent adjuvant chemotherapy. Twelve patients (18.8 %) presented with metastatic lung disease. Twenty-nine patients (45.3 %) developed metastatic lung disease during follow-up. Lung metastasis occurred in 64.1 % of the patients. Lung metastasis was detected at a median interval of 20 months after primary ASPS diagnosis. Being male, >20 years of age, having a primary tumour size ≥ 5 cm, and local recurrence were associated with a greater rate of lung metastasis. Median survival after the diagnosis of lung metastasis was 34 months. The 5-year survival rates were 64.1 and 95.2 % for patients with and without lung metastasis (P < 0.001). Thirty-seven patients with metastatic lung disease received anthracycline- and ifosfamide-based chemotherapy. One patient experienced a partial remission. CONCLUSIONS: ASPS patients have a high prevalence of lung metastasis. Sex, age, primary tumour size, and local recurrence are major factors influencing lung metastasis. Chemotherapy is not efficacious in ASPS patients with lung metastasis.