Surgical resection of pulmonary and extrapulmonary recurrences of uterine leiomyosarcoma.

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to determine long-term survival and predictors of outcome in a retrospective cohort of patients who underwent surgical resection of recurrent uterine leiomyosarcoma (LMS).

METHODS

Between January 1991 and March 2001, 41 patients who underwent surgical resection for recurrent uterine leiomyosarcoma were identified. The records of these patients were reviewed and abstracted data included patient age, date of initial diagnosis, tumor histology and grade, residual tumor after all operations, the use of adjuvant therapy, dates and sites of all recurrences, and disease status at last follow-up. Survival was determined from the time of first recurrence to last follow-up. Survival curves were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and P values were generated using the likelihood ratio test from the Cox proportional hazards model and chi(2) analysis.

RESULTS

Forty-one patients with recurrent uterine LMS (17 local pelvic, 18 distant, 6 both) underwent surgical resection at time of first recurrence. A thoracic procedure alone was performed in 13 cases. Information on residual disease was available for 37 patients. The disease-specific 2-year survival for all 41 patients was 71.2% (95% CI: 58.1, 87.3). In univariate analysis, time to first recurrence and optimal resection were significantly associated with longer overall survival.

CONCLUSION

Optimal surgical resection for recurrent uterine leiomyosarcoma may provide an opportunity for long-term survival in a select patient population. Time to first recurrence and optimal surgical resection were predictors of improved outcome in this study.