Intraoperative radiotherapy in advanced soft-tissue sarcoma of the extremities

Radical or wide excision is the treatment of choice for soft-tissue sarcomas (STS) of the extremities. Multimodality therapy made limb-sparing surgery possible. While external beam radiotherpy is well established in this setting, few data are available about intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT). We performed an analysis of 36 patients treated with IORT and external beam radiation following resection of STS of the extremities between 1991 and 1995. Only STS classified as UICC stage IIb, III or IV were included. Operative morbidity was 17%, 14% showed late complications. Within a mean follow-up of 24 months (min. 6), there was one local recurrence in 30 patients treated curatively. The 3-year survival rate of patients treated curatively was 75%; 3-year recurrence-free survival was 65%.