Improving the management of soft tissue sarcoma

BMJ 1998;317:93-94 ( 11 July )

Editorials

Improving the management of soft tissue sarcoma

Diagnosis and treatment should be given in specialist centres

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Musculoskeletal sarcomas comprise 1% of all malignancies and have traditionally been associated with a poor prognosis. However,the past two decades have shown a dramatic improvement in prognosisfor osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma when treated by teams ofpathologists, radiologists, oncologists, and surgeons who canprovide the necessary combination of chemotherapy, surgery, andradiotherapy. A similar evolution has also occurred in some placesin the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma. However, whereas no onequestions that patients with bone sarcomas should be treated at specialist tumour centres, many patients with soft tissue sarcoma (which is at least twice as common) are treated outside such centres, often with a poor outcome.

Last December Clasby et al reported recent treatment outcomes for soft tissue sarcoma in the South East Thames region of England.¹The first surgical procedure was a marginal excision (shellingout) in two thirds of cases. Less than half of . . . [Full text of this article]

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Pradhan, A., Cheung, Y. C., Grimer, R. J., Abudu, A., Peake, D., Ferguson, P. C., Griffin, A. M., Wunder, J. S., O'Sullivan, B., Hugate, R. Jr, Sim, F. H. (2006). Does the method of treatment affect the outcome in soft-tissue sarcomas of the adductor compartment?. J Bone Joint Surg Br 88-B: 1480-1486 [Abstract] [Full text]
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Rapid Responses:

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Entirely relevant to UK: M H Robinson
bmj.com, 16 Jul 1998 [Full text]
Get a specialist opinion on the diagnosis: Peter E. H. Richardson
bmj.com, 10 Apr 2002 [Full text]
Re: Get a specialist opinion on the diagnosis: Michael Jarmulowicz
bmj.com, 11 Apr 2002 [Full text]
Re: Re: Get a specialist opinion on the diagnosis: Debra S Milne, et al.
bmj.com, 12 Apr 2002 [Full text]
Re: Re: Re: Get a specialist opinion on the diagnosis: Peter Richardson
bmj.com, 15 Apr 2002 [Full text]