Retrospective study of distribution of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors and outcomes after resection

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are aggressive soft tissue sarcomas. A retrospective study at Massachusetts General Hospital found that among 119 patients, MPNSTs most commonly occurred in the lower extremity (42.9%), followed by the upper extremity (21.0%), and trunk (19.3%). After resection of MPNSTs, female sex (OR 0.25; 95% CI 0.10-0.61) and absence of metastases (0.15; 0.05-0.52) were significantly associated with lower odds of mortality. Among 39 survey respondents, 82.1% reported neuropathic pain following MPNST resection. These patients reported a mean EQ-5D-5L index score of 0.566 ± 0.253, as compared with 0.581 ± 0.205 for the general population of the United States. The authors conclude that following resection of MPNSTs, the prevalence of neuropathic pain is high, coinciding with a low quality of life.