Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Ravin Ratan, MD, MEd, MD Anderson, delves into how treatment paradigms and considerations differ between adult patients and pediatric patients who have soft tissue sarcomas.

Investigators explored the utility of unplanned resections, also called reresection, among patients who have soft tissue sarcomas.

Ravin Ratan, MD, MEd, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, explains the origins of soft tissue sarcomas within the body—which account for 1% of cancers in adult patients—how they are classified, and how they differ from organ-based cancers.

Immune checkpoint blockade therapy works by preventing the binding of checkpoint and partner proteins, thereby allowing T cells to continue their work of attacking and killing cancer cells.

The optimal negative margin required following surgical resection and perioperative radiotherapy for extremity soft tissue sarcoma (STS) remains up for debate, with investigators of a new study using Union for International Cancer Control classification to define resection margin.

Investigators also examined which type of immunosuppression was associated with a higher likelihood of Kaposi sarcoma.

New guidance on managing desmoid fibromatosis recommends a more conservative approach, encompassing the patient perspective, active surveillance, tumor location, and risk-benefit assessment.

In this retrospective analysis, outcomes data were evaluated on patients receiving care related to extrapleural pneumonectomy for soft tissue sarcoma or bone sarcoma.

Results presented at the National Community Oncology Dispensing Association International Spring Forum describe meaningful improvements in functioning among patients who received the oral gamma secretase inhibitor to treat progressing desmoid tumors.

Mrinal M. Gounder, MD, a sarcoma oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and lead investigator of the phase 3 DeFi trial of nirogacestat in desmoid tumors, discusses the drug's recent FDA approval and potential impacts on desmoid tumor treatment going forward.

Desmoid tumors are noncancerous growths that appear in connective tissue, most often on the arms, legs, and abdomen. Aggressive tumors must be treated with surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy to keep them from growing into nearby organs, which can make them life threatening. They can cause pain and disfigurement, and they can reduce functioning and quality of life.