Treatment approaches and oncologic outcomes of 35 patients with sarcomas of the head and neck – a retrospective analysis

Introduction Sarcomas represent a heterogenous group of malignant tumors originating from bone and soft-tissue. They account for 1 % of all head and neck cancers. With more than 50 known histological subtypes and a lack of treatment guidelines, head and neck sarcomas constitute a challenge for diagnosis and therapy.

Methods 35 patients were newly diagnosed with a sarcoma of the head and neck between 2008 and 2018 at our institution. We analyzed patient characteristics as well as oncologic and therapeutic parameters such as histological subtypes, primary and adjuvant therapy and overall survival.

Results 63 % (n = 22/35) of patients were male, 37 % (n = 13/35) were female. Mean age at diagnosis was 45.4 years (3-85 years). 14 histological subtypes were identified, including; Rhabdomyosarcoma (17 %, n = 6), chondrosarcoma (11 %,n = 4), and angiosarcoma (8 %,n = 3). Tumor locations included the following regions: paranasal sinuses (22 %,n = 8), cervical (14 %,n = 5), and endonasal(11 %,n = 4). In 68 % (n = 24/35) of patients surgery was the primary treatment. 28 % of patients (n = 10/35) received only chemotherapy and one patient was treated with primary radiotherapy. 58 %(n = 14/24) of surgically treated patients underwent adjuvant radiochemotherapy. 2-year overall survival was 78 % (n = 25/32): 2-year overall survival 79 % for patients with primary surgery (n = 19/24) vs. 60 % (n = 6/10) for patients with primary chemotherapy.

Discussion Our initial results are encouraging and suggest that primary surgery with adjuvant radiotherapy can be a promising treatment approach for resectable head and neck sarcomas. Larger patient cohorts and longer follow-up periods are necessary to confirm our findings and take into account the great heterogeneity regarding patient age, histology, and tumor location.

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Publication History

Article published online:
10 June 2020