TriangleHEALTH PROFESSIONAL · SOURCE READING
Specialized centers
Source: Soft Tissue Sarcoma Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version, National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: February 21, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.
Selected source text with whitespace normalised. This Triangle page is not an NCI PDQ summary.
Context: Treatment Option Overview for Soft Tissue Sarcoma / Planning Therapy
There is evidence that favorable clinical outcomes may be associated with referral to a specialized sarcoma treatment center.
Evidence (referral to a specialized sarcoma treatment center):
An analysis of a population-based consecutive series of 375 patients with soft tissue sarcoma in Sweden reported the following results:[1][Level of evidence C2]
Source links and citations
An analysis of a population-based consecutive series of 375 patients with soft tissue sarcoma in Sweden reported the following results:[1][Level of evidence C2]
The local recurrence rate was 45% (35 of 78 patients) in patients who were not referred.
An analysis of a population-based consecutive series of 375 patients with soft tissue sarcoma in Sweden reported the following results:[1][Level of evidence C2]
The local recurrence rate was 24% (24 of 102 patients) in patients who were referred after initial surgery or incisional biopsy.
An analysis of a population-based consecutive series of 375 patients with soft tissue sarcoma in Sweden reported the following results:[1][Level of evidence C2]
The local recurrence rate was 18% (36 of 195 patients) in patients who were referred before any surgical procedure.
An analysis of a population-based consecutive series of 375 patients with soft tissue sarcoma in Sweden reported the following results:[1][Level of evidence C2]
Local recurrence rates in patients with resected tumors were higher in those who were not referred (for the primary tumor) to the specialized center (P = .0001 for the difference between those not referred vs. those referred before any surgical procedure).
An analysis of a population-based consecutive series of 375 patients with soft tissue sarcoma in Sweden reported the following results:[1][Level of evidence C2]
There were no statistically significant differences in death from sarcoma among the groups.
A British study of 260 patients with soft tissue sarcoma diagnosed within a 3-year period reported the following results:[2]
Source links and citations
A British study of 260 patients with soft tissue sarcoma diagnosed within a 3-year period reported the following results:[2]
Thirty-seven percent of the patients had most of their treatment at a specialized center.
A British study of 260 patients with soft tissue sarcoma diagnosed within a 3-year period reported the following results:[2]
The remaining 63% were treated at 38 different hospitals.
A British study of 260 patients with soft tissue sarcoma diagnosed within a 3-year period reported the following results:[2]
The rate of local recurrence was 19% for patients treated at the specialized center.
A British study of 260 patients with soft tissue sarcoma diagnosed within a 3-year period reported the following results:[2]
The rate of local recurrence was 39% for patients treated at the district general hospitals, even though the tumors in these patients were smaller and of lower grade.
A British study of 260 patients with soft tissue sarcoma diagnosed within a 3-year period reported the following results:[2]
The most significant factors affecting survival were tumor grade (high grade vs. low grade) and the depth of the tumor.
A British study of 260 patients with soft tissue sarcoma diagnosed within a 3-year period reported the following results:[2]
Patients treated at the specialized center had a small survival advantage after multivariate analysis.
Publication references
Read the original reference and check its publication notices.
Preserved source evidence · Not medical advice