A retrospective clinical review of 50 patients with bone and soft extremity tissue sarcomas from 1987 to 1995, managed by 33 wide local resections (limb salvage) and 17 amputations or disarticulations, was performed to evaluate local tumor control.
The mean follow-up period was 38.7 months. Overall survival at five years was 80% for the resection group and 50% for the amputation group for bone sarcomas, 71.1% for the resection group and 47.1% for the amputation group for soft tissue sarcomas.
Three patients had local recurrence (6.0%). There were no local recurrences after amputation but three (9.1%) after wide resection.
Problems concerning the surgical wound was one of the most frequent complications in wide local resection and the average duration of wound healing after resection was longer than that after amputation.
