Soft tissue sarcoma at the adductor compartment of the thigh may have a greater risk of tumor-associated events and wound complications.

Abstract

Soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) of the thigh's adductor compartment frequently attain a large size before clinical presentation and displace the major neurovascular and lymph structures. We aimed to elucidate the clinical outcome in patients with STS of the thigh's adductor compartment. From March 1999 to June 2016, we treated 24 adult patients with primary STS of the thigh's adductor compartment. The mean age at diagnosis was 60 years. There were 13 men and 11 women. The mean follow-up period after the date of the initial treatment was 84 months. The mean tumor size at diagnosis was 13.6 cm. The disease-specific survival was 75.3% at 5 years. Local recurrence was detected in seven patients. The 5-year local recurrence-free rate was 69.9%. The patients with proximal STS had significantly poorer local control, compared to the remaining patients. Twelve (50%) patients developed 14 surgical wound complications. Complications included wound dehiscence ( n = 7), infections ( n = 6), lymphorrhea ( n = 1), wound dehiscence and infection ( n = 1), and infection and lymphorrhea ( n = 1). Six patients underwent additional surgical treatment. Intraoperative blood loss and operative time were related to the incidence of wound complications. Intraoperative blood loss and operative time in patients with proximal adductor STS were significantly larger than those in the remaining patients. We should take care of patients with STS of the thigh's adductor compartment, especially for proximal adductor STS, because they have a greater risk of local recurrence and wound complications.