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Background: In recent years, there has been growing awareness of the distinct characteristics of adolescents and young adults (AYA) diagnosed with cancer. Soft-tissue sarcoma (STS) accounts for approximately 1% of all cancers diagnosed in adults and 8% of cancers diagnosed in AYA. To the best of our knowledge, only a few sarcoma registers include data regarding histological subtype, age at diagnosis, and detailed clinical information. Therefore, little is known regarding clinical presentation and outcomes in AYA diagnosed with STS. Methods: Using the Scandinavian Sarcoma Group Central Register, data were obtained regarding 4977 patients who were diagnosed with STS for the period between 1986 and 2011. AYA (those aged 18-39 years) were compared with older adults (OA; those aged 40-80 years) with respect to clinical presentation, treatment, and outcome. Results: There were 868 AYA and 4109 OA. Overall and by STS subtype, there were significant differences noted between AYA and OA with regard to presentation, treatment, and survival. The distribution of STS subtypes was different between OA and AYA (eg, OA were more likely to be diagnosed with malignant fibrous histiocytoma compared with AYA [34% vs 16%; P < .001]). OA also were more likely to have tumors measuring >= 5 cm (68% vs 56%; P < .001) and a higher malignancy grade (75% vs 67%; P < .001). In the majority of STS subtypes AYA had significantly better overall survival and less disease recurrence compared with OA, but this finding was not true for those with malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. Conclusions: There are several differences between AYA and OA with STS with regard to presentation, treatment, and survival, and such differences must be taken into consideration when designing clinical trials. Additional work also is needed to characterize the potential biological mechanisms underlying these differences.

Background: Five-year survival rates for those diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma (STS) have improved significantly among children and older adults (OAs), but these same trends have not been observed for adolescents and young adults (AYAs). While these disparities could be due to differences in biology or treatment, few studies have evaluated STS occurrence and outcome in AYAs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate differences between adolescents and young adults (AYAs) and older adults (OAs) diagnosed with STS by stratifying analysis by: (1) clinical presentation; (2) treatment; and (3) survival. Methods: Data were obtained from the Scandinavian Sarcoma Group (SSG) Central Register, which includes information on 5,747 patients from Sweden and Norway, diagnosed with a STS during 1986-2011. Variables included: age at diagnosis, metastasis at diagnosis, tumor size, histology, adjuvant treatment, date of death or last follow-up. AYAs were defined as those diagnosed ages 15-39 years. Categorical variables were analyzed using chi-square tests, and continuous variables were analyzed using t-tests. Overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were compared between AYAs and OAs using Kaplan-Meier estimates and log-rank tests. All analyses were conducted overall and by common STS subtypes. Results: Overall and by STS subtype, there were significant differences between AYAs and OAs on presentation, treatment, and survival. The distribution of STS subtypes was different between OAs and AYAs. For example, OAs were more likely to be diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma compared to AYAs (18% vs. 10%, p<0.001), whereas AYAs were more likely to be diagnosed with malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST, 9% vs. 4%, p<0.001). OAs were also more likely to have larger tumors (>5 cm, 67% vs. 52%, p<0.001) and higher malignancy grade (grade IV, 45% vs. 31%, p<0.001). Interestingly, AYAs were more likely to be treated with radiotherapy and chemothe