Surgical resection is the main treatment method for synovial sarcoma

Perhaps few people have heard of the term "synovial sarcoma". In fact, synovial sarcoma is a relatively frequent soft tissue sarcoma. However, compared with other soft tissue tumors, the incidence of synovial sarcoma is relatively low. Therefore, there are relatively few medical treatments for this disease.

1: Although this tumor is called synovial sarcoma, it does not originate in the synovial tissue. Synovial sarcoma can develop anywhere in the body and usually appears as a gradually enlarging mass. As a highly malignant sarcoma, synovial sarcoma is characterized by high local invasion and metastasis rates.

2: The peak incidence of synovial sarcoma is between 20 and 30 years old. About 30% of patients are under 20 years old and it is more common in males. Like most soft tissue sarcomas, the pathogenesis of synovial sarcoma remains unclear, and there are no established risk factors. Therefore, there is no good screening method.

3: Currently, malignant tumors are one of the main causes of death in China, but soft tissue sarcomas are relatively rare. According to statistics from the United States, the annual incidence of soft tissue sarcoma is approximately 2 to 3 per 100,000, accounting for only 1% of all malignant tumors and 2% of all fatal tumors. However, soft tissue sarcomas account for approximately 8% of childhood malignancies. Synovial sarcoma accounts for approximately 8% of all soft tissue sarcomas. Based on China's population base, there are still tens of thousands of patients suffering from this rare disease every year.

4: Because synovial sarcoma is rare and there are few cases, the best treatment option has not yet been determined. The standard treatment is surgery. And supplemented with radiotherapy. The role of chemotherapy remains unclear because of the low incidence of synovial sarcoma, which has limited the availability of patients for randomized controlled clinical trials. Currently, surgical resection followed by selective radiotherapy and chemotherapy is the main treatment method.

1: The main treatment is surgical removal of the tumor, and strive to achieve extensive resection. If important blood vessels are invaded by the tumor, the blood vessels need to be removed along with the tumor, and vascular transplantation is necessary. Incomplete resection has a high local recurrence rate. Literature reports that the recurrence rate of marginal resection is as high as 77%.

2: Lung metastasis is common, but lymph node metastasis is also common, with an incidence of about 20%. Therefore, for patients with larger draining lymph nodes, lymph node dissection is necessary at the same time as tumor resection. The 5-year survival rate is around 20% to 50%. For those whose local excision is incomplete, radiotherapy can be added. The effectiveness of chemotherapy is currently uncertain.

3: The website of the American Cancer Institute also mentions experiments using immune cells to treat sarcoma. However, DC-CIK therapy is not included in the current experiments, and these immune cell therapies are mainly targeted at other types of sarcomas, and there is no immunotherapy for synovial sarcoma. Currently, all immune cell therapies are in Phase I and Phase II clinical trials and are not yet on the market.

A type of soft tissue sarcoma that occurs in people aged 15 to 40 years old, near the large joints of the limbs, especially the knee joints. It can also occur in areas not related to the joints, such as the head and neck, abdominal wall, and retroperitoneum.