SUMMARY

Soft tissue sarcomas represent 75% of all sarcomas and constitute a group of more than 50 different histological subtypes, with an even greater number of molecular subtypes. Localised STSs are generally treated by surgery followed, or preceded, by radiotherapy and according to criteria linked with the risk of local recurrence. Metastatic STSs are principally treated by systemic treatments such as chemotherapy and targeted drugs. The most important drugs used are doxorubicin, ifosfamide, dacarbazine, gemcitabine/docetaxel, eribulin and trabectedin; but also pazopanib. The place of localised treatments (surgery, radiotherapy, radiofrequency, etc.) in this setting is reserved for oligometastatic disease. A multidisciplinary approach is mandatory, with centralisation of all cases in reference centres, as early as at the time of clinical diagnosis of a suspected sarcoma. This ‘centralised’ approach, for this rare and complex disease, has an impact on the oncologic outcomes (quality of resection and overall survival) of patients.

(BELG J MED ONCOL 2019;13(6): 227–233)