Introduction: Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are rare, heterogeneous tumours with limited data from low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to describe the clinicopathological features, treatment patterns and survival outcomes of STS in Cuba, providing an expanded real-world benchmark from the “Hermanos Ameijeiras” Clinical-Surgical Hospital, a national referral centre.
Methods: We conducted a longitudinal retrospective cohort study, including 97 adults with nongastrointestinal stromal tumour STS diagnosed from January 2006 to December 2013. Sociodemographic and clinicopathological data were obtained from medical records, and vital status was verified through the national statistics department. Five-year overall survival (OS) was estimated using Kaplan–Meier and log-rank tests. Multivariable Cox regression identified independent prognostic factors.
Results: Median age was 52 years (range, 18–82); 52/97 (53.6%) were male. Common histological subtypes were liposarcoma in 28/97 (28.9%), undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma in 20/97 (20.6%) and leiomyosarcoma in 13/97 (13.4%). Extremities were the most frequent site, occurring in 59/97 (60.8%). Localised disease, defined as American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stages I and II, was present in 53/97 (54.7%). Surgery—often with adjuvant therapy—was the predominant approach, used in 58/97 (59.8%). Overall, 30/97 patients (30.9%) died within 5 years after diagnosis. AJCC stage (p < 0.001), histological grade (p = 0.011) and tumour depth (p = 0.042) were associated with OS; age, subtype, tumour size and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group status were not. Stage IV (p = 0.005) and intermediate (p = 0.011) or high (p = 0.006) grade independently predicted worse OS.
Conclusion: More than half of Cuban STS cases presented with localised disease. AJCC stage, histological grade and tumour depth were the main prognosticators of 5-year OS, underscoring the importance of early diagnosis and timely treatment within structured primary-care programmes.
