Feasibility study of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy for soft-tissue sarcoma

In a nonrandomized trial, postoperative, adjuvant, combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy were given to 17 patients with high-grade soft-tissue sarcomas. All patients had undergone conservative limb-sparing surgery. Soft-tissue sarcomas were localized in the extremities (13 patients), superficial trunk (3), and neck (1). In all, 13 patients received 50 mg/m2 doxorubicin and 5 g/m2 ifosfamide with mesna uroprotection for a total of 6 cycles and 4 patients received CYVADIC (cyclophosphamide/vincristine/doxorubicin/dacarbazine). Chemotherapy was started immediately after wound healing. Irradiation using the shrinking-field technique was commenced 3-7 days following chemotherapy; a total dose of 65 Gy was applied. The major side effects of chemotherapy were nausea and vomiting [17 of 17 patients, 5 experiencing World Health Organization (WHO) grade 3 toxicity and 1, WHO grade 4], leukopenia of