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Adult Soft
Tissue Sarcoma: Treatment
Treatment by
Stage: Treatments for adult soft tissue sarcoma depend on the stage of the disease, and the patient's age and general health.
Patients may consider standard therapy, because of its effectiveness in past studies, or participation in a clinical trial. Not all patients are cured with standard therapy, and some standard treatments may have more side effects than are desired. For these reasons, clinical trials are designed to find better ways to treat cancer patients and are based on the most up-to-date information.
Stage IA, IB, and IIA Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma
Treatment may be one of the following:
1. Surgery to remove the cancer.
2. Surgery with radiation therapy, before or after the surgery.
3. High-dose radiation therapy followed by surgery and radiation therapy.
If cancer is found in the head or neck or in the abdomen or chest, treatment may be one of the following:
1. Surgery to remove the cancer possibly followed by radiation therapy.
2. Radiation therapy followed by surgery.
3. Radiation therapy.
Stage IIB, IIC, and III Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma
Treatment may be one of the following:
1. Surgery to remove the cancer.
2. Surgery to remove the cancer followed by radiation therapy.
3. Radiation therapy alone.
4. Radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy before surgery, possibly followed by
radiation therapy.
Stage IV Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma
If the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, treatment may be one of the following:
1. Surgery to remove the cancer and removal of the lymph nodes where the
cancer has spread (lymph node dissection), possibly followed by radiation therapy.
2. Radiation therapy before and after surgery to remove the cancer and
lymph node dissection.
3. A clinical trial of surgery and/or radiation therapy followed by
chemotherapy
If the cancer has spread to the lungs, treatment may be one of the following:
1. Surgery to remove the primary cancer followed by radiation therapy
followed by surgery to remove the cancer from the lungs.
2. Surgery to remove the primary cancer.
3. Surgery to remove the primary cancer followed by radiation therapy.
4. Radiation therapy, possibly followed by chemotherapy.
If the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, treatment may be one of the following:
1. Surgery to remove the cancer with radiation therapy before or after the
surgery, possibly followed by chemotherapy
2. Chemotherapy to reduce the pain and discomfort caused by the cancer.
Recurrent Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma
Treatment depends on the kind of treatment the patient had before. Treatment may be one of the following:
1. Surgery to remove the cancer.
2. Surgery to remove the cancer followed by radiation therapy.
3. Chemotherapy alone.
For More
Information:
Questions
about sarcoma or its treatment?
Get answers from a board-certified oncologist.
Please
visit our Ask An Oncologist service.
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Date Modified: 06/2002
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