Introduction Sarcomas represent a heterogenous group of malignant tumors originating from bone
and soft-tissue. They account for 1 % of all head and neck cancers. With more than
50 known histological subtypes and a lack of treatment guidelines, head and neck sarcomas
constitute a challenge for diagnosis and therapy.
Methods 35 patients were newly diagnosed with a sarcoma of the head and neck between 2008
and 2018 at our institution. We analyzed patient characteristics as well as oncologic
and therapeutic parameters such as histological subtypes, primary and adjuvant therapy
and overall survival.
Results 63 % (n=22/35) of patients were male, 37 % (n=13/35) were female. Mean age at diagnosis
was 45.4 years (3-85 years). 14 histological subtypes were identified, including;
Rhabdomyosarcoma (17 % , n=6), chondrosarcoma (11 % ,n=4), and angiosarcoma (8 % ,n=3).
Tumor locations included the following regions: paranasal sinuses (22 % ,n=8), cervical
(14 % ,n=5), and endonasal(11 % ,n=4). In 68 % (n=24/35) of patients surgery was
the primary treatment. 28 % of patients (n=10/35) received only chemotherapy and
one patient was treated with primary radiotherapy. 58 % (n=14/24) of surgically treated
patients underwent adjuvant radiochemotherapy. 2-year overall survival was 78 % (n=25/32):
2-year overall survival 79 % for patients with primary surgery (n=19/24) vs. 60 %
(n=6/10) for patients with primary chemotherapy.
Conclusions/Discussion Our initial results are encouraging and suggest that primary surgery with adjuvant
radiotherapy can be a promising treatment approach for resectable head and neck sarcomas.
Larger patient cohorts and longer follow-up periods are necessary to confirm our findings
and take into account the great heterogeneity regarding patient age, histology, and
tumor location.
