Soft tissue sarcomas of the adult thoracic wall.

Forty-nine adult patients with soft tissue sarcomas of the thoracic wall have been treated by the Division of Surgical Oncology at the University of Illinois. Fibrosarcoma was the most common histologic type (20%). Patients with dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans had the longest mean overall survival time (150.8 months). The mean overall survival time for all patients was 98.2 months, and the disease-free 2-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates were 68%, 51%, and 34%, respectively. Wide excision was the treatment of choice; selected patients also received adjuvant radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or both. In all 10-year survivors, the sarcomas were low grade and well differentiated, or were less than or equal to 5.0 cm in diameter. Aggressive treatment afforded these patients good long-term results.