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Below, week by week, is what OnCo's record of Soft tissue sarcoma of the extremity (localised and advanced) says about the first two months: the order is typical, the timing is yours to ask about. Most soft tissue sarcomas arise in an arm or leg. Limb-saving surgery with radiotherapy cures most localised tumours and is as safe as amputation. For spread disease doxorubicin is the backbone: adding ifosfamide shrinks more tumours without lengthening life, and in leiomyosarcoma adding trabectedin doubles the time the disease stays controlled. Sections appear only where the record has something to say. Orientation, not medical advice.
Staging tests establish exactly what and where the cancer is. Everything else follows from the answers.
Ask which of these were tested and what the results were; see the report reader for what each value means.
These specialties appear in the standard of care for this cancer. In most centres they meet weekly as a tumour board to agree each plan; you can ask when yours was discussed and what was decided.
A second opinion from a centre that treats many similar cases is normal, not rude; the standard of care tells you what to compare it against.
Each row is a setting from the standard of care, in the order it usually arises. Not all will apply to you; your stage and biomarkers decide which do. The guideline grade, where recorded, says how strong the evidence is.
Limb-sparing wide resection with preoperative (50 Gy) or postoperative (66 Gy) radiotherapy for high-grade or deep tumours over 5 cm; surgery alone for small superficial low-grade tumours.
Neoadjuvant anthracycline-ifosfamide (ISG-STS 1001) in fit patients; regional hyperthermia with chemotherapy or isolated limb perfusion for borderline resectable tumours.
Doxorubicin alone, or doxorubicin plus ifosfamide when shrinkage is needed (EORTC 62012); doxorubicin plus trabectedin for leiomyosarcoma (LMS-04); olaratumab withdrawn after ANNOUNCE.
Gemcitabine-docetaxel, pazopanib, trabectedin, eribulin (liposarcoma); pulmonary metastasectomy or stereotactic radiotherapy for limited lung disease; histology-directed agents and trials.
Generated from this cancer's standard of care, biomarkers and open problems. Take the group that matches where you are. To tick, add your own and print, open the one-page appointment sheet.
Trials open now for this cancer in OnCo, largest phase first. Joining a trial is a decision like any other: ask what the comparison arm is, whether a placebo is used, and what happens if you leave. The cancer page searches ClinicalTrials.gov live for more.
Much of what helps in the first weeks is free if you know to ask: testing, helplines, rides and lodging, second opinions, trial travel.
Every term links to the glossary.