Abstract
Major wound complication risk factors following soft tissue sarcoma resection.
Wound-healing complications represent an important source of morbidity in patients treated surgically for soft tissue sarcomas (STS). The purpose of this study was to determine which factors are predictive of major wound complication rates following STS resection, including tumour site, size, grade, and depth, as well as radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
We reviewed 256 cases of STS treated surgically between 2000 and 2011. The primary outcome was occurrence of major wound complications post STS resection.
Major wound complications were more likely to occur post STS resection with larger tumour diameters (p = 0.001), high grade tumours (p = 0.04), location in the proximal lower extremity (p = 0.01), and use of preoperative radiotherapy (p = 0.01). Tumours located in the adductor compartment were at highest risk of complications. We did not demonstrate a significant difference in complications rates based on method of closure. Diabetes, smoking, obesity, tumour diameter, tumour location in the proximal lower extremity, and preoperative radiotherapy were independent predictors on multivariate analysis.
There are multiple predictors for major wound complications post STS resection. A more aggressive resection of irradiated soft tissues, combined with primary reconstruction, should be considered in cases with multiple risk factors.
