Soft tissue sarcoma. Integration of brachytherapy, resection, and external irradiation.

Between December 1981 and August 1988, 63 patients with clinically localized nonretroperitoneal soft tissue sarcomas underwent 65 brachytherapy procedures in conjunction with conservative resection with (61 tumors) or without (four tumors) external beam irradiation. Implant doses of 1500 to 2000 cGy were combined with 4500 to 5000 cGy of external irradiation. External irradiation was given preoperatively for larger lesions near bone or neurovascular structures, whereas it was used postoperatively for smaller, more resectable lesions or those that had previously been inadequately excised. There were 47 high-grade tumors, 34 tumors greater than 5 cm, and nine patients with recurrent lesions (five with previous irradiation). With mean follow-up of 20 months, conclusions on local control are tentative, but only two of 56 tumors (4%) with brachytherapy as part of initial management had recurred locally and three of nine recurrent tumors had re-recurred locally. Only one of five local recurrences was within the implanted volume. Only two of 40 implantations (5%) performed at initial resection followed by postoperative external irradiation led to wound complications, whereas four of 16 implantations (25%) performed at resection after preoperative external irradiation were associated with wound problems. This technique does not increase local morbidity and may enhance local tumor control in comparison with either external radiation or brachytherapy alone as an adjuvant to conservative resection.