Head and Neck Sarcomas: Analysis of the SEER Database

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the epidemiology of sarcomas occurring in the head and neck and identify prognostic factors for patient survival. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional analysis of the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program. METHODS: The SEER 18 registries, comprising sarcoma diagnoses made from 1973 to 2010, were queried for sarcomas arising in the head and neck. Pediatric and adult patients were analyzed separately, and multivariate and propensity-matched analyses were performed to identify predictors of disease-specific survival. RESULTS: In all, 11,481 adult cases and 1244 pediatric cases were identified. In adults, the most common histologic subtypes were malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH), Kaposi sarcoma, and hemangiosarcoma, while in the pediatric cohort, the most common histologic subtypes were rhabdomyosarcoma, MFH, and osteosarcoma. Cause-specific 2-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates were 76%, 66%, and 61% for adults and 84%, 73%, and 71% for pediatric patients. Multivariate analysis performed for adults revealed that male gender, absence of radiation therapy, and stage I disease were associated with improved cause-specific survival reaching statistical significance. However, a propensity-matched model demonstrated no significant difference in cause-specific survival between patients who received radiation and those who did not. CONCLUSION: Sarcomas, a heterogeneous group of malignant mesenchymal tumors, are uncommonly found in the head and neck. This study represents the largest analysis of patients with head and neck sarcomas in the literature and demonstrates the impact of age, gender, primary site, histology, and radiation status on overall prognosis.