A Systematic Overview of Radiation Therapy Effects in Soft Tissue Sarcomas

A systematic review of radiation therapy trials in several tumour types was performed by The Swedish Council of Technology Assessment in Health Care (SBU). The procedures for evaluation of the scientific literature are described separately (Acta Oncol 2003; 42: 357-365). This synthesis of the literature on radiation therapy for soft tissue sarcomas (STS) is based on data from five randomized trials. Moreover, data from 6 prospective studies, 25 retrospective studies and 3 other articles were used. In total, 39 scientific articles are included, involving 4 579 patients. The results were compared with those of a similar overview from 1996 which included 3 344 patients. The conclusions reached can be summarized as follows: The well-established prognostic factors for tumour-related death from STS--histological grade, tumour size and age--are well documented. The importance of superficial versus deep site as well as the anatomic site is also rea...