OBJECTIVES: Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are rare malignant tumors of mesenchymal origin, that arise in arising in connective tissue and extra-osseous connective tissue. STS represent about 1% of all adult cancers and clinical outcomes form different therapies were still poorly understood. Our aim was to determine the real-world STS epidemiology in Taiwan and to understand pharmacological treatment outcomes in patients’ survival.

METHODS: We used Taiwan’s entire 2010–2015 National Health Insurance Database (NHID), registry for catastrophic illness patients and cancer registration file to conduct a retrospective cohort study and investigate this issue.

RESULTS: In year 2011-2015, there were total 890 new diagnostic STS patients were identified from cancer registration file. From these 890 new STS patients, 255 were diagnosis as advanced/metastatic STS patients who were under antineoplastic agents (ATC code: L01) treated for more than 3 months. The top one anti-neoplastic first-line therapy used for treating advanced/metastatic STS were Anthracycline Combination therapy (49.0%). There was no significant difference between different therapies. The Hazard Ratio in Anthracycline monotherapy, Anthracycline Combination therapy and non-Anthracycline Combination therapy as compare to non-Anthracycline monotherapy were 1.44 (0.50-4.20), 1.06 (0.65-1.73) and 1.16 (0.70-1.94).

CONCLUSIONS: These results indicated the STS management still need improved to set up the treatment standard.