Marginal surgery and postoperative radiotherapy in soft tissue sarcomas. The Scandinavian Sarcoma Group experience

In a randomised Scandinavian Sarcoma Group study (n = 240) on the effect of postoperative adjuvant doxorubicin in high grade adult soft tissue sarcoma, 26 patients were treated with marginal surgery and postoperative radiotherapy. The protocol dose was 51 Gy in 17 fractions, or equivalent. Local recurrence occurred in 6 patients. Two local failures were geographical misses. Salvage treatment was ultimately successful in 3 of 4 attempted cases. 15 patients had complications, which in 3 cases necessitated amputation. These 3 patients had received the protocol fractionation and doxorubicin. However, other factors possibly responsible for the complication were also present.