Primary soft tissue sarcoma of the extremities in adults.

The modern literature on adult extremity sarcoma implies that adjuvant therapy (usually irradiation) is mandatory for adequate local control, at least in patients with high-grade tumours undergoing limb-sparing procedures. In 152 primary extremity soft tissue sarcomas, wide or radical resection was employed (116 patients) including amputation in nine patients (6 per cent), or local excision followed by adjuvant postoperative radiation therapy (36). Local recurrence alone occurred in 5 per cent of patients, and in combination with distant metastases in 9 per cent. The total rate of local recurrence was 10 per cent after wide resection (with or without chemotherapy) and 25 per cent after conservative resection and radiotherapy (with or without chemotherapy). Limb sparing was possible in 94 per cent of patients. The majority (76 per cent) had surgical resection alone as local treatment with satisfactory results. Wide resection, when feasible, provides acceptable local control and may be preferable to local excision plus radiation therapy.