Abstract
Aim
Local treatment of Ewing sarcoma of the hip bones and sacrum remains one of the most difficult tasks in the treatment of bone sarcomas. We investigated the difference between size, local treatment and overall survival in Ewing sarcoma of the sacrum and hip bones.
Methods
Patients with Ewing sarcoma of the hip bones or sacrum, diagnosed between 1986 and 2009, were identified through the Scandinavian Sarcoma Group registry. Data regarding tumour size, local treatment (radiation or surgery), local recurrence, surgical margin, metastatic disease, and overall survival were analyzed and compared between the two locations (hip bone or sacrum).
Results
99 patients with Ewing tumour in the hip bones (74 patients) or the sacrum (25 patients) were identified. The mean size was 7.8 cm (sacrum) and 10.6 cm (hip bones), p=0.007. For tumours localised to the sacrum, 9% of the patients underwent surgery, 68 % received radiotherapy and 5% received both. For patients with tumours in the hip bones, 28% underwent surgery, while 32% received radiotherapy and 28% received both. All of the 6 patients with local recurrence died.
There was a tendency (p=0.059) for better overall 5 year survival for patients with a tumour localised to the sacrum compared with patients with a tumour localised to the hip bones (58 vs. 32%).
Conclusion
Ewing tumours are smaller in the sacrum than in the hip bones. Radiotherapy alone appears to give sufficient local control of Ewing sarcoma of the sacrum. Ewing sarcoma of the sacrum most probably has a better prognosis than Ewing sarcoma of the hip bones.
