Soft tissue sarcomas of the head and neck. Clinical and pathological evaluation of 108 cases in Mexico

BackgroundSarcomas constitute 1% of all malignancies, but 10% occur in the head and neck (HN), and they are poorly understood. We present a large series of Soft Tissue HN sarcomas in Mexican patients with survival analysis.Study designThis is a retrospective study of cases in a cancer hospital.MethodsReview of files and pathology material. Literature review.ResultsWe analysed 108 patients (55 men / 53 women). The age at presentation was 37 years. The original diagnosis changed in nine cases (8.3%). The most common subtype was rhabdomyosarcoma. Ninety percent of tumours were deep, 91% were high grade, 44% had metastasis, 63% measured >5 cm, overall 5-year survival (5y-OS) was 48%, and histological high grade was associated with poor survival (p=0.026).ConclusionSarcomas of the HN are rare. The most affected sites were paranasal sinuses. The majority of tumours were deep, > 5 cm and high grade, 50% had metastasis, the 5y-OS was 48% and the only independent factor associated with 5y-OS was histologic grade.