Hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion for the treatment of soft tissue sarcomas

Hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion (HILP) with various chemotherapeutic agents has been used for the local treatment of high-grade soft tissue sarcomas (STS) of the extremities, but in most cases, with a disappointing result. Most such regimens certainly should not be considered superior to surgery plus radiotherapy. Although the majority of extremity STS can be resected locally, some are very large and are in close proximity to bone, nerve or blood vessels. In these cases, amputation is the only means of resecting the tumour. A new combination of drugs used in the set-up of HILP with tumour necrosis factor-alpha and melphalan has emerged as a very promising option for the limb-saving management of locally advanced STS. In recent studies, complete response rates of approximately 30% and partial remission rates of 50% have been achieved, while the overall limb-salvage rate is more than 80%.