Dr. Albertsmeier on the Effect of Radiation on Local Recurrence and OS in Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Markus Albertsmeier, MD, surgeon, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, discusses a a meta-analysis of the effect of radiation therapy on local recurrence and overall survival (OS) in patients with soft tissue sarcoma.

Local recurrence remains a major problem for patients with sarcoma, says Albertsmeier. EBRT is frequently used to improve local control in soft tissue sarcoma of different locations. The objective of the present meta-analysis was to quantitatively summarize the existing evidence for the effectiveness of external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) in resectable soft tissue sarcoma. Moreover, the meta-analysis aimed to determine whether the preferred timing should be preoperative or postoperative.

The researchers involved in this analysis conducted a systematic search of the PubMed and Embase databases and identified studies that compared the effect of EBRT with no EBRT on local recurrence and OS and studies comparing preoperative with postoperative EBRT.

The evidence they found suggested that EBRT does, indeed, reduce the risk of local recurrence in both extremity and retroperitoneal sarcomas, though OS outcomes appear to be unchanged, says Albertsmeier. Thus, EBRT should be utilized for these patients preoperatively when possible. Further studies including specific tumor entities are needed in the future to validate these findings.