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We analyzed the quality of surgery in a population-based series of 375 patients with primary soft tissue sarcoma of the extremity (n 329) and trunk wall (n 46). The quality was measured as the total number of operations performed for the primary tumor--biopsy, excision, reexcision--and the local recurrence rate. A comparison was made between patients referred to our tumor center before surgery (n 195), after surgery (n 102), and not referred for the primary tumor (n 78). The total number of operations for the primary tumor in patients not referred was 1.4 times higher, and in patients referred after surgery 1.7 times higher than in patients referred before surgery. The local recurrence rate in patients not referred was 2.4 times higher, and in patients referred after surgery 1.3 times higher than in patients referred before surgery. Our findings show that patients with soft tissue sarcoma should be treated at a tumor center, and that they should be referred before surgery.
Gustafson et al. (1994) studied this question.