Intraoperative interstitial iridium brachytherapy in the management of soft tissue sarcomas: preliminary results of a feasibility phase II study.

Between May 1986 and June 1992, 48 patients with soft tissue sarcomas underwent 50 intraoperative interstitial implants in conjunction with conservative tumoral resections. Brachytherapy was part of the initial treatment in 27 cases and was done in 21 other previously treated patients. For the last ones brachytherapy was, in most of the cases, the only treatment in addition to surgery. The implant dose was 40-65 Gy. When combined with external irradiation the mean prescribed dose was 20 Gy (12-25 Gy). With a median follow-up of 33 months, the 3-year actuarial survival rate was 81% and the local disease-free survival 91.7%. Five local failures were observed only in patients with recurrent sarcomas: two were inside the treated volume and three outside (local failure 5/48 = 10.4%). Acute side-effects occurred in 11 patients (11/48 = 23%), with skin breakdown (two cases) infection and hematoma (one case), infection, lymphocele, secondary skin breakdown and vascular rupture (one case), infection and limited skin breakdown (two cases) and delayed healing (five cases). As a consequence, six patients required reoperation but no amputation was necessary. The functional results were good. Only three patients had a moderate limitation of movement. Late complications occurred in five patients: bone fracture (one case), leg oedemas not interfering with normal activity (three cases), peripheral neuropathy fibrosis related requiring surgery (one case). Therefore, this preliminary report shows that adjuvant intraoperative brachytherapy is feasible and is safe in treating soft tissue sarcomas, even in previously irradiated patients. However, further evaluation is needed to determine the real place of intraoperative implant in the management of soft tissue sarcomas.