Synovial Sarcomata

Synovial sarcoma is a rare tumor. Almost three-fourths of all patients having these tumors are less than forty years of age and about half of them are less than thirty years of age. The most frequent sites are the knee, foot, thigh, ankle, hand, and elbow, in the order mentioned. The course tends to be long, and the patient often undergoes repeated local excisions and continues to have recurrences even after many years. The tumor is highly malignant and spreads readily to regional nodes, to the lungs, or to both. Consequently the prognosis is poor. Only one of our patients has survived five years or more after operation without recurrence or metastasis.