11/10/2000 Synovial Sarcoma: A Clinicopathologic, Staging, and Prognostic Assessment Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol 18, Issue 22 (November), 2000: 3794-3803 © 2000 American Society for Clinical Oncology Synovial Sarcoma: A Clinicopathologic, Staging, and Prognostic Assessment By Andrew J. Spillane, Roger A’Hern, Ian R. Judson, Cyril Fisher, J. Meirion Thomas From the Sarcoma Unit, Royal Marsden Hospital, London, United Kingdom. Address reprint requests to A. Spillane, FRACS, Melanoma and Sarcoma Unit, Royal Marsden National Health Service Trust, Fulham Rd, London SW3 6JJ, England; email ajspillane@ozemail.com.au. PURPOSE: Synovial sarcoma (SS) is a common soft tissue sarcoma (STS) with a propensity for young adults and notable sensitivity to chemotherapy (CT). This study provides a current clinicopathologic, staging, and prognostic assessment for SS. The problems with the current American Joint Committee for Cancer (AJCC) Staging System in relation to SS are discussed. METHODS: Review of a prospective database supplemented by retrospective data. RESULTS: One hundred fifty patients were assessed; median age was 30 years and median follow-up was 52 months. Overall actuarial 5-year survival rate was 57%. Size trend, but not a cutoff of less than 5 cm versus =" type="#_x0000_t75" o:spid="_x0000_i1026">=" src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\CARRIE~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.gif">5 cm, was a prognostic indicator (P < .001). The current AJCC/International Union Against Cancer Staging System differentiated prognosis less well than the recently proposed Royal Marsden Hospital Staging System. Age greater than 20 years at diagnosis implied worse prognosis. A local recurrence event was associated with a worse survival (P < .001). Therapeutic CT was administered to 55 patients. Eleven of 19 patients had an objective response to a combination of ifosfamide and doxorubicin. Four cases had complete response after CT. Twenty-one patients had pulmonary metastasectomy, with an actuarial 5-year survival rate of 23%. CONCLUSION: SS tends to affect young people. In this subtype of STS, size trend is the most significant influence on stage and hence survival; however, smaller SSs have an unexpectedly poor prognosis. Adequate local control may affect survival. SS is often chemosensitive, and given its poor prognosis, multicenter trials of adjuvant therapy are warranted. For full text, click here: http://jco.ascopubs.org/cgi/content/abstract/18/22/3794