Neoadjuvant intraarterial chemotherapy of soft tissue sarcomas

A group of 51 patients with extremity sarcomas of soft-tissue origin received preoperative intraarterial (i.a.) chemotherapy via a percutaneously placed catheter. Treatments were performed as a series of chemotherapy cycles, giving a total of 129, and were carried out in the form of short-term infusions consisting of doxorubicin and cisplatin, which lasted for 20-40 min. These i.a. infusions were combined with complementary methods, such as a tourniquet, occlusion-infusion and chemoembolization. In 3 patients complete remission and in 21 partial remission was registered, while in 27 patients only minimal response could be achieved, although in this latter group necrosis of eight tumors proved to be of significant value. In 43 of 51 patients successful limb salvage surgery was carried out.