Clinical management of soft tissue sarcomas

The prognosis of soft tissue sarcomas has dramatically improved over the past few decades thanks to the use of increasingly suitable multidisciplinary therapeutic approaches. An assessment of the results of our series of 21 patients, carried out in the light of the most recent literature data, has led us to revise our approach to a number of problems regarding the natural history, the nosographical classification and the therapy of these cancers. This type of tumour arises in a muscle compartment and then spreads proximally and distally within the compartment without involving adjacent structures, except in a relatively advanced phase, while as regards remote metastases the preferential diffusion route is via the bloodstream. Thorough assessment of the clinical and morphological characteristics is essential for adequate treatment: echotomography, CT, and MRI are particularly useful in preoperative staging; a microscopic examination should always include precise classification and accurate assessment of the tumour grade. Surgical management consists in extensive en bloc resection, followed by radiotherapy in the event of unclear margins and/or high grade tumour even when dealing with small sarcomas. The main indications for chemotherapy are locally advanced cases or cases with distant metastases. Thanks to these therapeutic approaches today, good results can be achieved, with 5-year survival rates of 80 and 67%, respectively, in stages I and II, and of 12 to 50% in the more advanced stages.