Neutron therapy of soft tissue sarcomas and status report from the Radiotherapy Department of the Hamburg University Hospital.

After change of management at the Radiotherapy Department of the University of Hamburg also a change in treatment policy resulted. Of 72 patients treated since then 63 had soft-tissue sarcomas (at 83 localisations) and 13 adenoid-cystic carcinomas, only ten were treated for other indications. Neutrons only were applied in contrast to many boost applications in the past. The total doses administered were between 13.6 and 16 Gy and the doses per fraction between 0.8 and 1.2 Gy depending on tumor mass and localisation. To compare the treatment modalities all earlier treated patients with soft tissue sarcomas were reexamined and the results critically compared to earlier reported ones. There were considerable differences in the side effects found now and reported earlier. Moderate or severe fibrosis was found in 13% of the cases who received less than 13.4 Gy and in 54% of the cases who received a higher total dose. In the new series up to now only in 15 cases local recurrences and in eleven cases distant metastases occurred. Nothing can be yet said on the late effects.