Prevalence of Head and Neck Sarcoma in a Major Cancer Center in Iran- A 10-Year Study

INTRODUCTION: Sarcomas are rare malignancies with aggressive biological behavior. They are categorized into soft and hard tissue types. The main objective of this study was to analyze the prevalence of head and neck sarcomas (HNS) among the Iranian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The pathology files derived from Iran National Tumor Bank of Cancer Institute in Imam Khomeini Hospital, affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, served as the source of the materials for this study. All cases diagnosed with head and neck sarcoma were included in the study. The recorded data included the patient’s age, gender, tumor location, and rates of recurrence and metastasis. RESULTS: Investigation of the pathology files of the patients referring to the center under study during a 10-year period resulted in the identification of 183 HNS cases, 96.17% of which were primary. Generally, the prevalence of this disease was at its highest level in patients within the age range of 30-60 years with a male to female ratio of 1.4. The recurrence and metastasis rates of HNS were 32.38% and 5%, respectively. Osteosarcoma was detected as the most common type of sarcoma. Soft tissue sarcomas constituted 69.3% of the lesions with a male predilection. The patients afflicted with this type of sarcoma had a mean age of 45.88 years. Furthermore, hard tissue sarcomas comprised 30.68% of the sarcoma cases with a mean age of 36.22 years and a female predilection. The commonest lesion was osteosarcoma, and the most typical location was the mandible. CONCLUSION: In the current study, head and neck sarcomas were most often observed in patients within the age range of 30-60 years with a male predilection. Osteosarcoma was identified as the most common type of sarcoma. Studies addressing rare lesions with a large sample size facilitate the recognition of the demographic data and histopathologic variation which may contribute to a correct diagnosis.