Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
OBJECTIVE: : To define the prognostic significance of surgical center case volume on outcome for soft tissue sarcoma (STS). METHODS: : STS cases registered in the Florida Cancer Data System (FCDS) between 1981 and 2001 were analyzed. Medical facilities were ranked by STS operative volume. Facilities above the 67th percentile for volume were defined as high-volume centers (HVCs). RESULTS: : Of the 4205 operative cases of STS identified, 68.1% were treated at low-volume centers (LVCs) and 31.9% at HVCs. A larger proportion of high-grade tumors (53.8% vs. 44.3%) and lesions over 10 cm (40.7% vs. 28.7%) were resected at HVC (P 10 cm), high-grade or truncal/retroperitoneal tumors should be treated exclusively at a high-volume center.
Gutierrez et al. (Mon,) studied this question.