Treatment Strategy for Elderly Patients with Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Surgical resection is the standard treatment for localized soft tissue sarcoma (STS), while systemic chemotherapy for advanced STS may be considered. However, less aggressive treatment is often administered to elderly patients with STS. Undertreatment may compromise the cure rate and survival of these individuals. We review the literatures and emphasize the importance of standard treatment for STS in elderly patients.

The outcome of surgical resection of STS in older individuals is comparable to that of younger ones, as long as patients are selected based on American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status (ASA-PS). Likewise, systemic treatment may prove beneficial as long as the risk of complications is estimated with a geriatric assessment. Elderly patients with STS benefit from standard treatment as long as the risks of surgical and systemic complications are assessed respectively with the ASA-PS and GA. Novel clinical trials with broader eligibility criteria are also necessary for elderly patients because of the increasing population of the elderly patients in the future.