The American Society for Radiation Oncology recently released a new clinical guideline that offers guidance on the utilization of radiation therapy in the treatment of soft-tissue sarcoma patients. The new guideline was published in “Practical Radiation Oncology.”
The recommendations include treatment planning, radiation techniques and optimal radiation dosing for patients with operable, localized soft-tissue sarcoma of the extremities, including legs and arms and the abdominal wall and chest wall.
Soft-tissue sarcoma is rare, making up only 1% of malignancies in adults. The condition is known to be lethal and comprises more than 50 subtypes, which are all different. The tumors usually form in the connective tissues, including nerves, fat, blood vessels or muscles, and can be found anywhere in the body, including in a patient’s hands and feet. The disease’s management requires coordinated care from a team of radiation, orthopedic, surgical and medical oncologists, as well as specialized radiologists and pathologists.
The guideline emphasizes the importance of multidisciplinary input before treatment can begin, as its offers detailed recommendations on indications for radiation dose and therapy. The standard treatment for this cancer type involves surgeries combined with radiation therapy for patients who have a higher risk of recurrence. While preoperative radiation therapy is commonly used today, radiation usually came after surgery in the past.
Professor B. Ashleigh Guadagnolo, a professor of radiation oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, states that radiation is administered prior to surgery because the long-term side effects have been found to be less severe. Guadagnolo explains that preoperative radiation therapy’s effects are reversible while the side effects of post-op radiation therapy are permanent because a higher dose of radiation is required after a surgery has been done.
Guadagnolo adds that research on care patterns in the United States has discovered that radiation therapy for soft-tissue sarcoma is mostly given after an operation, which is why treatment approaches that don’t affect a patient’s long-term quality of life are needed.
Other recommendations in the guideline include:
- Patients with primary, localized truncal and extremity soft -issue sarcoma who have a higher risk of local recurrence should undergo radiation therapy. However, patients with a low local recurrence risk are advised to not receive radiation therapy.
- Preoperative radiation is recommended for patients who are to undergo both radiation therapy and surgery.
- Routinely using radiation therapy for patients with primary localized retroperitoneal sarcomas isn’t advised.
Patients suffering from soft-tissue sarcomas may also feel hopeful as many companies, including Tryp Therapeutics Inc. (CSE: TRYP) (OTCQB: TRYPF), are conducting clinical trials aimed at validating drug candidates targeting soft tissue sarcomas.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Tryp Therapeutics Inc. (CSE: TRYP) (OTCQB: TRYPF) available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/TRYPF
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