CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, Vol 28, 284-295, Copyright
© 1978 by American Cancer Society
Sarcoma of Soft Tissue
Herman D. Suit M.D., D.Phil.1
1 Chief, Department of Radiation Medicine and Andres Soriano Director of Cancer Management, Massachusetts General Hospital and Professor of Radiation Therapy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
The proposed approach to the treatment of patients with sarcoma of soft tissue is:
Stages IA and B: radical wide field resection where good margins (greater than three cm.) are expected and achieved. If the margin is less adequate, then post-operative radiation therapy is indicated.
Stages IA and B: Where good margins cannot be expected, the preferred treatment is pre-operative irradiation for lesions appropriate for incisional biopsy, but post-operative irradiation for small lesions subjected to excisional biopsy.
Stages IIA through IVA: Radiation therapy followed by surgery, pre-operative radiation being preferred unless the lesion is removed by excisional biopsy. For pre-operative radiation therapy dose levels of 5000 to 5600 rads (200 rads per session, 1000 rads per week) are reasonable. Following the surgery, an additional 1000 to 1500 rads by external beam or implant is appropriate in most patients.
