Soft tissue sarcoma in France in 2015: Epidemiology, classification and organization of clinical care

Four thousand new cases of soft tissue sarcomas are diagnosed each year in France, 23% of which are localized in the abdomen and pelvis; the treatment of non-metastatic tumor is based on wide surgical resection, the quality of which determines the long-term outcome. To ensure appropriate care, the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) recommends that any patient with an unexplained soft tissue mass (of any size for deep lesions or of>5cm for superficial lesions) be referred to a specialized center with capacities for multidisciplinary team decision; appropriate imaging should be performed prior to treatment and a percutaneous image-guided needle biopsy should be routinely performed. In France, clinical and pathology networks (NetSarc and RRePS) currently offer patients a structured means to make a systematic diagnosis of soft tissue sarcoma and help to provide access to appropriate treatment in a specialized center.