The Current Situation and Experience of Multidisciplinary Treatment of Soft Tissue Sarcoma in China

Soft tissue sarcoma (STS) is a malignant tumor of soft tissue, more common in the limbs, trunk, and retroperitoneal body wall. STS relapses after incomplete excision, and the repeated resections of recurrence lesions may result in accelerating life-threatening tumor metastasis. Currently, how to reduce the recurrence rate and the retention and restoration of good function have become the pursuits of clinical research of STS. Because STS may occur anywhere in the body, with various histologic subtypes, and variable clinical characteristics, analysis of outcomes remains challenging. Current research efforts include: (1) anatomy of related tissue that sarcoma may grow in, (2) retention of normal tissue while obtaining a negative resection margin, and (3) application of comprehensive treatments and functional reconstruction of damaged tissues. The goals are to reduce the recurrence rate, improve function, and control distant metastasis for the purpose of long-term survival.