Is Perioperative Radiotherapy Effective in Preventing Local Recurrence in Myxofibrosarcoma?

Abstract

Background: Myxofibrosarcoma (MFS) is a rare type of soft tissue sarcoma that is locally aggressive and has a high risk of recurrence. The effectiveness of perioperative radiotherapy (RT) in preventing local recurrence (LR) of MFS remains uncertain. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the impact of perioperative radiotherapy on local recurrence in patients with MFS.

Methods: A total of 75 patients diagnosed with MFS and treated at a single institution were included in the study. Patient data, including demographics, tumor characteristics, and treatment variables, were collected from electronic medical records. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of local recurrence.

Results: Among the patients, 25/75 (33.3%) received radiation therapy, while 50/75 (66.7%) did not. Local recurrence in the radiated group was 28% (7/25) compared to 36% (18/50) in the non-irradiated group (p = 0.20). The LR rate trended higher in patients who received RT postoperatively (adjuvant) (6/12, 50%) than preoperatively (neoadjuvant) (1/13, 7.6%) (p = 0.124). Of the 54 patients with negative margins, the local recurrence rate was lower in the radiated group (1/12, 8.33) than the non-irradiated group (9/36, 25%) (p = 0.034). A subgroup analysis based on tumor grade did not reveal any significant differences in recurrence rates between the radiated and non-irradiated groups. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in recurrence rates between the irradiated and non-irradiated groups at the one-year (p = 0.32), two-year (p = 0.24), and five-year (p = 0.32) follow-up marks.

Conclusion: Although radiotherapy demonstrated a trend toward reduction in recurrence rates in patients with MFS in this study, the observed difference did not reach statistical significance. Neoadjuvant radiation appears to be more effective than adjuvant radiation. However, there was a significant reduction in recurrence in patients with negative margins who received radiation demonstrating that effective surgical resection continues to be the most important intervention in patients with myxofibrosarcoma. Level of Evidence: III.

Keywords: local recurrence; myxofibrosarcoma; perioperative radiotherapy; survival.