The multidisciplinary approach to treatment of soft tissue sarcomas

Soft tissue sarcomas are rare tumors including many histological subtypes. They are pre-eminently tumors for which the multidisciplinary approach to treatment is of utmost importance. The two most frequently applied staging systems both require experienced assessment of radiology and pathology, and stage is a prominent prognostic factor for survival that guides the choice of treatment modalities. For primary treatment radical surgery is still the backbone. In many instances postoperative radiotherapy is a valuable and often necessary complementary treatment. The role of preoperative radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy needs to be defined although preliminary results are interesting. Chemotherapy as an adjunct to surgery should still be considered investigational. In metastatic disease "standard" chemotherapy has a definitive though moderate activity, but recent data on dose-intensified chemotherapy suggest that results may be further improved.