Soft tissue sarcomas

Abstract

The designation soft tissue sarcoma encompasses a wide diversity of more than 50 histiotypes of which about 6600 cases are diagnosed annually in this country. Tumor grade, size, depth, histological characteristics, and site of origin are important prognostic factors that influence the overall outcome in patients with soft tissue sarcoma. Patients with small (5 cm, T1) primary tumors who have no evidence of distant metastatic disease are managed by local therapy consisting of surgery alone or in combination with radiation therapy. The use of systemic therapy is generally limited to patients with metastatic disease, those with small cell sarcomas of any size, or those patients with large (5 cm, T2) high-grade or 10 cm intermediate-grade tumors who are at high risk of developing metastatic disease. The primary objective of multimodality treatment is to render patients free of disease. In patients for whom this endpoint is attainable, the therapeutic intent is cure; in patients for whom this is not accomplished, the intent is palliation of existing or potential symptoms.