The role of postoperative radiotherapy in treatment of soft tissue sarcomas

Soft-tissue sarcomas account for approximately 1% of adult malignancies and they occur in up to 50% of cases in the extremities, followed by visceral/retroperitoneal regions. Different histological subtypes exist and primary therapy is predicated on surgical resection with an adequate margin of normal tissue. In most of the extremity tumors, limb-sparing surgery is possible. Local recurrence rates vary depending on the anatomic site and for high-risk patients, identified by tumor grade, size and site, local control is clearly improved with postoperative adjuvant radiation. In this review, the role of radiotherapy in the treatment of soft tissue sarcomas are analyzed regarding the recent literature.