Treatment


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    There are three main treatment options for patients with soft tissue sarcoma:

1.    Surgery-  This is the most common treatment for soft tissue sarcoma.  There are four types of surgery that are used depending on the severity, the tissues surrounding the tumor, and the stage of the tumor.  Mohs Microsurgery is the process of removing the tumor in thin layers and checking each individual layers for cancerous cells.  Layers are removed until there are no more cancerous cells in the sample.  Wide local excision is the process of removing the tumor and all surrounding tissues with it even if they are normal.  Amputation is the removal of all or part of a limb (like an arm or leg) to get rid of any cancerous cells that have "taken over" the limb.  Lastly, lymphadenectomy is the removal of all lymph nodes that contain cancer.

2.    Radiation Therapy-  This is the process of killing or stopping the growth of cancerous cells by using high-energy x-rays and other types of radiation.  Only the part of the body that is "infected" will receive radiation therapy.

3.    Chemotherapy-  This treatment process uses drugs to stop the growth of cancerous cells.  This is done by either killing the cells completely or by stopping the division of the cancerous cells.  The most common practice of this type of treatment is by injecting the drug into a vein, but it can also be taken by mouth or placed directly into an organ, the spinal column, or the abdomen.  The way chemotherapy is given depends on the severity and the stage of the cancer.


Normal treatment options based on stages:  (may be done solo or in combination)

Stage I Stage II Stage III Stage IV                                                                                                            Surgery                                       Surgery                                             Surgery                                              Surgery

Radiation Therapy                      High-Dose Radiation Therapy        High-Dose Radiation Therapy         Radiation Therapy
                                                                                                                                                                          Chemotherapy


 (Surgical Removal of Soft Tissue Sarcoma Tumor)