UTERINE SARCOMAS: EFFECT OF ADJUVANT TREATMENTS ON PROGNOSIS

To Istanbul University, Institute of Oncology 92 cases of uterine sarcomas were referred from 1975 through 1994. These cases were retrospectively analysed for natural history, prognostic factors, and treatment results. Eighty four cases were referred after hysterectomy. From the total of 92 cases, 43% received radiotherapy, 36% received radiotherapy plus chemotherapy, 14% received chemotherapy, and 7% received no treatment. External pelvic irradiation with a mean dose of 50±2.8 Gy was the main radiotherapy modality applied. Fifty percent of the cases received adjuvant chemotherapy. Recurrence rate was 40%. Three year disease free survival (DFS) was significantly better in the patients that received radiotherapy. However, when treatment modalities were compared in terms of DFS in each disease stage, none of the treatment modality was significantly better than the others; the same was true for general survival as well. Overall survival at three and five years were, 49.7% and 42.6%. Although our results showed a trend for improved DFS with the addition of postoperative pelvic radiotherapy in uterine sarcoma patients, there is need for randomised trials in order to assess the role of local and systemic adjuvant treatments in this disease.