Role of radiotherapy treatment of uterine sarcoma

Uterine sarcomas are rare and, consequently, data supporting the use of adjuvant radiotherapy in uterine sarcomas consist of few randomised studies and multiple single-institution retrospective reports. It is becoming increasingly clear that each histologic subtype of uterine sarcoma is a distinct entity for which tailored treatment recommendations are needed. In this review, we analysed the effect of adjuvant radiotherapy for the main histologic subtypes of uterine sarcomas. When grouping all histologies, adjuvant radiotherapy has been shown in most studies to reduce local-regional failure without an overall survival advantage, as distant failure is the predominant pattern of relapse. Carcinosarcomas have the strongest indication for adjuvant radiotherapy, especially in early stage disease. Women with leiomyosarcomas and endometrial stromal sarcomas receiving adjuvant radiotherapy have improved local control compared with women undergoing surgery alone. As distant failure rates decrease with improvements in systemic therapies, there may be a broader indication for adjuvant radiotherapy.