Prognostic Factors in Synovial Sarcoma: A Clinicopathologic Study of 18 Cases

The prognostic factors for synovial sarcoma were analyzed retrospectivelyin 18 patients. Variables evaluated for their use in predictingsurvival included the location of the primary tumor, tumor size,local recurrence, completeness of surgical resection, and histologicsubtype. Chemotherapy was not evaluated because the patientsreceived various regimens and/or inadequate doses. Tumor sizewas the most significant prognostic factor, and a diameter ofmore than 10 cm was associated with a significantly worse prognosis(risk ratio: 5.38) (P=0.012).We conclude that complete surgicalresection of tumors less than 5 cm in maximum diameter may becurative and that adjuvant chemotherapy may not be necessaryfor such patients, because the value of chemotherapy for synovialsarcoma is still controversial.