Surgical treatment of low grade soft tissue sarcomas.

Nineteen patients who have undergone surgical resection of low grade soft tissue sarcomas were retrospectively reviewed. Four patients received additional radiation therapy, and 15 did not. Of the 15 patients treated by surgery alone, 4 had positive margins in the original specimen; all 4 had local recurrence within a mean of 42 months. Eleven patients had negative margins. Ten have had no recurrence in a mean of 40 months. One patient had local recurrence at 36 months. Two of the four patients with positive margins were reoperated on and in achieving negative margins have remained disease-free a mean of 84 months. Three patients receiving additional postoperative radiation therapy had positive margins, and all had recurrence in a mean of 36 months. One patient with negative margins who also received radiation therapy is disease-free at 144 months. It appears that tumor-positive margins are associated with a high likelihood of local recurrence, whereas negative margins appear associated with a long disease-free interval and possible cure. Radiation therapy to positive margins did not prevent local recurrence.