Soft tissue sarcomas of the extremity. Multidisciplinary therapy employing hyperthermic perfusion

Cultured human sarcomatous cells that have been tested in our laboratory are more sensitive to the lethal effects of heat than are the normal cells from which they are derived. During an eight year period from March 1967 to March 1975, thirty-seven patients with soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities were treated with hyperthermic perfusion and, when possible, radiation therapy and radical local excision. Despite the fact that these tumors arise on the extremity, diagnosis was often delayed. With meticulous attention to all details, hyperthermic perfusion was performed with a minimum of morbidity and mortality. The combined use of hyperthermic perfusion, radiation therapy, and delayed excision has greatly reduced the necessity for amputation. Many useful limbs, heretofore not considered salvageable, can be saved with this method of treatment. Also, the possibility exists that destruction of tumor within the extremity followed by delayed excision enhances the immune response of the patient.