Clinicopathologic factors and adjuvant treatment effects on survival in adult head and neck synovial cell sarcoma

BACKGROUND: Synovial cell sarcoma is a rare soft tissue sarcoma. The purpose of this study was to investigate clinicopathologic factors and management on survival in primary synovial sarcoma of the head and neck. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective case series of medical records. Standard Kaplan-Meier survival analyses and accompanying log-rank tests were used. RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients were identified. All patients had surgery in attempt to remove the primary lesion. Nine patients received adjuvant radiation therapy, 2 received chemotherapy, and 14 received chemoradiation therapy postoperatively. Metastases on initial presentation and tumor size >4 cm decreased survival. No significant effect on overall survival or local tumor recurrence with histologic subtype, lymph node involvement at diagnosis, tumors >5 cm, or when comparing adjuvant therapy types. CONCLUSION: Although surgery remains the mainstay of treatment, our results do not suggest that adding chemotherapy to postoperative radiotherapy confers a survival or control benefit.