Time Trends and Prognostic Factors for Overall Survival in Myxoid Liposarcomas: A Population-Based Study

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the overall survival (OS) and associated characteristics for patients with Myxoid Liposarcoma (MLS) over time in The Netherlands. METHODS: A population-based study was performed of patients with primary localized (n = 851) and metastatic (n = 50) MLS diagnosed in The Netherlands between 1989 and 2016, based on data from the National Cancer Registry. RESULTS: The median age of the MLS patients was 49 years, and approximately two-thirds was located in the lower limb. An association was revealed between age and the risk of having a Round Cell (RC) tumor. OS rates for primary localized MLS were 93%, 83%, 78%, and 66% after 1, 3, 5, and 10 years, respectively. The median OS for patients with metastatic disease at diagnosis was 10 months. Increasing age (Hazard Ratio (HR) 1.05, p=0.00), a tumor size >5 cm (HR 2.18; p=0.00), and tumor location (trunk HR 1.29; p=0.09, upper limb HR 0.83; p=0.55, and “other” locations HR 2.73; p=0.00, as compared to lower limb) were independent prognostic factors for OS. The percentage of patients treated with radiotherapy (RT) increased over time, and preoperative RT gradually replaced postoperative RT. In contrast to patients with localized disease, significant improvement of OS was observed in patients with metastatic disease over time. CONCLUSIONS: In this large nationwide cohort, tumor size and tumor location were independent prognostic factors for OS. Furthermore, a higher probability of an RC tumor with increasing age was suggested. An increased use of RT over the years did not translate into improved OS for localized MLS.