Grading of soft tissue sarcomas : experience of the EORTC soft tissue and bone sarcoma group

In oncology, the best possible information about prognosis is of paramount importance. This holds true particularly for clinical trials but also for determining the most appropriate treatment in general. Regarding soft tissue sarcomas (STS), it is well known that some types of these malignancies have a favorable prognosis, e.g. myxoid liposarcoma, others such as rhabdomyosarcomas are generally related to a poor outcome. On the other hand, every worker in this field is familiar with the great variability in histopathology and clinical behavior of e.g. the fibro- and leiomatous tumors.