Trends in soft tissue sarcoma of the heart in the United States (1975–2022): A SEER-based analysis.

Abstract

e23571 Background: Soft tissue sarcoma of the heart is an extremely rare malignancy with limited population-level data. Evaluating incidence trends and demographic patterns over time can inform clinical awareness and guide research priorities. Methods: We analyzed 972 cases of heart soft tissue sarcoma reported from 1975 to 2022 using the SEER database. Cases were stratified by sex (male, female, both) and race (White, Black, Other, Unknown). Decade-level aggregation was performed, and Poisson regression was used to assess temporal trends and calculate the annual percent change (APC). Results: Overall, males (544 cases) had a higher incidence than females (428 cases), and White individuals accounted for the majority of cases (744 cases). Incidence increased from 1975 to ~2010, followed by a plateau from 2010 to 2022; Poisson regression indicated a statistically significant overall increase, with an annual percent change (APC) of 2.5% per year. Decade-level analysis showed that increases were most pronounced among White males, while other racial groups had smaller absolute counts. Conclusions: Soft tissue sarcoma of the heart has demonstrated a rising incidence from 1975 to 2010, particularly among White males, with a plateau in the most recent decade. These SEER-based findings provide valuable epidemiologic insights and underscore the need to consider sex and race in surveillance and future research.