Wide resection of soft tissue sarcomas after unplanned primary procedures: A long-term follow-up study

Unplanned resection of soft-tissue sarcomas (STS) predispose the patients to recurrences and metastases, secondary wide resection is usually warranted. To investigate the outcomes of re-excision of STS after unplanned initial resection. The records of 39 patients undergoing re-excision of STS after unplanned initial resection from January 2006 through December 2015 were retrospectively investigated. There were 17 males and 22 females, the mean age was 45.7 years. Most initial unplanned resections were performed in rural hospitals by surgeons from general surgery department, dermatology department, plastic surgery department, and orthopedic department. Thirty-five patients underwent secondary wide resections in our department. Histopathological findings indicated positive margins after primary surgeries in 18 patients. Until the conclusion of 37.2-month follow-up, 7 patients developed metastasis, 3 had local recurrence, and 7 were dead. Positive margins were associated with increased metastases and lower survival rates (P < .05). There was no significant difference in recurrences between the 2 groups. Unplanned initial resection of STS often lead to unfavorable prognosis. Primary wide resections are warranted for this disease entity.