Preoperative chemotherapy in soft tissue sarcoma.

The preoperative use of chemotherapy in the management of soft tissue sarcoma is a recent concept in the multidisciplinary management of neoplasia related to the development of more effective drug combinations. The reason for chemotherapy preoperatively is to define the effectiveness of drug treatment, permitting a rational basis for long term adjuvant treatment. In addition, major surgical morbidity may be precluded if chemotherapy is effective, allowing lesser surgical procedures, such as limb-sparing local resection. Patient selection for this approach must be individualized and is based upon the major determinants of prognosis, including the stage of the tumor according to the TNM and G--grade--classification. Radiation therapy is an essential component of the multimodality approach to soft tissue sarcomas, and the interaction of all three therapeutic modalities must provide optimal tumor control and minimal morbidity.