The Indications for and the Prognostic Significance of Amputation as the Primary Surgical Procedure for Localized Soft Tissue Sarcoma of the Extremity

Background The indications for primary amputation of a localized soft tissue sarcoma (STS) of the extremity are not well defined in the literature. However, it has been suggested that patients who require an amputation to treat an STS are at increased risk for developing metastases. We categorized the main indications for primary amputation in our patient population and compared their oncological outcome with the outcome of patients who underwent limb-sparing surgery.