The future of sarcoma treatment

The last two decades have shown exciting and dramatic improvements in the management of osteogenic sarcoma, while progress in soft tissue sarcomas has lagged behind considerably. Osteogenic sarcoma treatment has been a model of multidisciplinary collaboration. Orthopedic surgeons working together with medical and pediatric oncologists have improved disease-free survival while improving limb salvage rates and limb function. In contrast, the care of soft tissue sarcoma remains fragmented among many disciplines and specialties. Medical and pediatric oncologists, radiation oncologists, and a myriad of surgical specialists are all involved in the care of soft tissue sarcomas, and significant treatment (usually surgical) often occurs before referral to a center. Significant variation in managment leads to considerable difficulty in assessing the effects of treatment on outcome. Improvement in soft tissue sarcoma management will occur only when physicians recognize the need to centralize care to appropriate physicians within referral centers where patients can be treated on standardized cooperative protocols.