Demographic, clinical, pathologic and treatment pattern of soft tissue sarcoma at Tikur Anbessa specialized hospital, Ethiopia - retrospective cross-sectional study

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Abstract
Background Soft-tissue sarcomas are an uncommon group of neoplasms that can be fatal, especially in metastatic settings. Thus, this study aimed to assess the demographic, pathological, clinical, and treatment patterns of soft tissue sarcoma at the Tikur Anbesa Specialized Hospital in Ethiopia. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on patients with soft tissue sarcomas who visited the Tihur Anbesa Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia, between August 2017 and August 2021GC. A total of 190 samples were taken. Data from health management information system logbooks and medical records were collected, with only histopathology-confirmed cases included, while those with incomplete data were excluded. Analysis was performed using SPSS version 25, and ethical clearance was obtained from Addis Ababa University College of Health Sciences. Results A total of 320 patients were registered between August 2017 and August 2021; 190 patients were available for this study, and 130 were lost. The median age was 32 years of age and male sex was commonly affected, accounting 61.6%, and female sex accounted 38.4%. The common sites were extremities, accounting for 48.9% of cases. The Commonest presenting symptoms were mass and pain, accounting for 93.2% and 77.9% of cases, respectively. The common histological subtypes were undifferentiated sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and synovial sarcoma, accounting 50%, 15.8%, and 6.3% cases, respectively. The grade of the lesions was described in 67.3% of patients. Of the lesions whose grade was described, 56.8% were high grade lesions. In all cases, 58.3% of the patients underwent surgery as the primary treatment modality. Only 50.5% of cases were started treatment with curative intent, and 49.5% of the patients started their treatment with palliative treatment. Conclusions The pattern of soft tissue sarcomas showed a heterogeneous distribution in terms of demography, clinical presentation, treatment, and pathological subtypes. The advanced stage of initial clinical presentation and substandard work-up and therapy make it unique from cases reported in other parts of the world.
Funding Information
  • This work was supported by the Addis Ababa University of research and the community service, Ethiopia. It is not involved at any stage of the study.

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