Prognostic factors for postoperative survival among patients with rhabdomyosarcoma of the limbs

BACKGROUND: Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a rare malignant soft tissue sarcoma with a poor outcome and unclear prognostic factors. The purpose of this study was to analyze the prognostic postoperative survival factors among patients with RMS of the limbs. METHODS: Postoperative data on patients with RMS of the limbs from 1983 to 2013 were retrieved from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database of the US National Cancer Institute. Both overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were assessed using the Kaplan–Meier method (to obtain OS and CSS curves) and a Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: In total, 385 cases were obtained from the SEER database. The 5- and 10-year OS rates of the entire group were 51.5% and 42.2%, respectively. The 5- and 10-year CSS rates were 56.7% and 50.7%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that age, location, tumor stage, tumor size, and radiation therapy (RT) were associated with OS. Age, tumor stage, tumor size, and RT were associated with CSS. Age, tumor stage, tumor size, and RT were also independent predictors of both OS and CSS. CONCLUSION: Young age, no metastasis at presentation, smaller tumor size, and RT are favorable factors for prolonging survival among patients with RMS of the limbs after surgery.