Editing Sarcoma (section)

== Prognosis ==

=== Factors that affect prognosis ===
The AJCC has identified several factors that affect prognosis of '''bone sarcomas''':<ref name=":0" />
* '''Size of the tumor''': larger tumors tend to have a worse prognosis compared to smaller tumors.
* '''Spread of tumor to surrounding tissues''': tumors that have spread locally to surrounding tissues tend to have a worse prognosis compared to tumors that have not spread beyond their place of origin.
* '''Stage and presence of metastases''': tumors that have spread ("metastasized") to the lymph nodes (which is rare for bone sarcomas) or other organs or tissues (for example, to the lungs) have a worse prognosis compared to tumors that have not metastasized.
* '''Tumor grade''': higher grade tumors (grades 2 and 3) tend to have a worse prognosis compared to low grade (grade 1) tumors.
* '''Skeletal location''': tumors originating in the spine or pelvic bones tend to have a worse prognosis compared to tumors originating in arm or leg bones.

For '''soft-tissue sarcomas other than GISTs''', factors that affect prognosis include:<ref name=":0" />
* '''Stage''': as with bone sarcomas, tumors that have metastasized have a worse prognosis compared to tumors that have not metastasized.
* '''Grade''': the AJCC recommends using a grading system called the French Federation of Cancer Centers Sarcoma Group (FNCLCC) Grade for soft-tissue sarcomas, with high-grade tumors having a worse prognosis compared to low-grade tumors.

For '''GISTs''', the key factor that affects prognosis is:<ref name=":0" />
* '''Mitotic rate''': [[Mitosis|mitotic]] rate refers to the fraction of [[Cell (biology)|cells]] that are actively [[Cell division|dividing]] within the tumor; GISTs that have a high mitotic rate have a worse prognosis compared to GISTs that have a low mitotic rate.

=== Outcome data ===
According to data published by the US National Cancer Institute (NCI), the overall 5-year survival for '''bone sarcomas''' is 66.9%.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web|url=https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/bones.html|title=Bone and Joint Cancer - Cancer Stat Facts|website=SEER|language=en|access-date=2019-03-27}}</ref> The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that 2,140 people in the US will die in 2023 from bone sarcomas, accounting for 0.3% of all cancer deaths.<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal |last1=Siegel |first1=Rebecca L. |last2=Miller |first2=Kimberly D. |last3=Wagle |first3=Nikita Sandeep |last4=Jemal |first4=Ahmedin |date=2023 |title=Cancer statistics, 2023 |journal=CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians |volume=73 |issue=1 |pages=17–48 |doi=10.3322/caac.21763 |issn=1542-4863 |pmid=36633525|doi-access=free }}</ref> The [[median]] age at death is 61 years old, although death can occur in any age group.<ref name=":8" /> Thus, 12.3% of bone sarcoma deaths occur in people under 20 years old, 13.8% occur in people 20–34 years old, 5.5% occur in people 35–44 years old, 9.3% occur in people 45–54 years old, 13.5% occur in people 55–64 years old, 16.2% occur in people 65–74 years old, 16.4% occur in people 75–84 years old, and 13.1% occur in people 85 years or older.<ref name=":8" />

For '''soft-tissue sarcomas''', the overall 5-year survival (irrespective of stage) is 64.5%, but survival is affected by many factors, including stage.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web|url=https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/soft.html|title=Soft Tissue Cancer - Cancer Stat Facts|website=SEER|language=en|access-date=2019-03-27}}</ref> Thus, the 5-year survival is 80.8% for soft-tissue sarcomas that have not spread beyond the primary tumor ("localized" tumors), 58.0% for soft-tissue sarcomas that have spread only to nearby lymph nodes, and 16.4% for soft-tissue sarcomas that have spread to distant organs.<ref name=":9" /> The ACS estimates that 5,140 people will die from soft-tissue sarcoma in 2023, accounting for 0.9% of all cancer deaths.<ref name=":7" />